BY INDY MAEALASIA
VOTE counting for the three (3) constituencies of Honiara and its wards has faced delays, attributed to venue space limitations, according to election officials.
Schedule to kick start yesterday, the Solomon Islands Electoral Commission (SIEC) Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Jasper Anisi informed the media that due to the size of the constituencies, the commission had to find an additional counting venue.
Initially, the SIEC had indicated via their website that counting for all three constituencies would take place at the multi-purpose hall, where the ballot boxes were stored overnight.
However, since current space will not be able to cater for all three constituencies, the Commission sorted out Saint Barnabas Cathedral’s Hall to serve as the additional counting center for West Honiara constituency and its wards.
By 4 pm yesterday, West Honiara Ballot boxes were escorted by the police and were safely transported to Saint Barnabas Cathedral Hall.
A Returning officer for West Honiara told Island Sun that depending on the circumstances of setting up the new venue for counting and and his consultations with his team, they might decide to commence the counting process today.
As for East and West Honiara, the multi-purpose hall’s conference room and basketball court have been prepared for counting.
Additionally, although a small crowd gathered at the entrance of the multi-purpose hall as early as 7 am, consisting of enthusiastic voters awaiting results and candidate counting agents, no significant disruptions have been observed so far thus, Police presence remained robust around the area.
