THE counting of votes for the Guadalcanal Province’s Tandai Ward bye-election will commence today at 10am.
The bye-election conducted on Wednesday was necessitated by the passing of former Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) for the ward Jerome Rava. Rava died on 1 August.
Returning Officer Joseph Sua provided Solomon Star with key details about the counting process during the bye-election yesterday.
“We are fully prepared to begin counting tomorrow morning. Our team has been working diligently to ensure that everything is in place for a transparent and fair counting process.
“We expect a high turnout and we are committed to ensuring that every vote is counted accurately.’
“The counting process will be done fairly and transparently and without any interference or bias. I am so confident about the new system and its counting process.
“This is a moment of great importance for the Ward of Tandai and I urge everyone to respect the election process and allow Electoral officials to do their job without interference.”
Sua said all ballot boxes should safely arrive at the Counting Center yesterday evening so the counting process will proceed at 10 am today.
He said the verification process for all ballots boxes will be conducted this morning before the counting process commences.
The bye-election was marked by intense campaigning, with candidates focusing on key issues such as job creation, healthcare and infrastructure development.
After the close of the voting process, Mr Sua confirmed to Solomon Star that all polling stations across the Tandai Ward reported a robust voter turnout, which reflected the ward’s eagerness to participate in the democratic process.
“The bye election was peaceful. There were no reports of disturbances received from any of the polling stations as police officers were engaged providing security.
“The peacefulness of the election reflected the ward’s eagerness to participate in the democratic process.
“The counting will take place at the Guadalcanal Provincial Headquarters in Honiara and the results are expected to be announced later on Friday but this is subject to change depending on how fast it takes for the completion of the counting,” he added.
By JIMMY NOLAN
Solomon Star, Honiara
