Following the delay in the release of final results from Monday’s general elections, many businesses in the city’s commercial zones remained closed yesterday.Although businesses in Georgetown usually open at about 8:30AM each day, a midmorning visit found several popular businesses along Regent and Water streets with their doors closed and their security grills lowered.While the Guyana Elections Commission Chairman Dr Steve Surujbally as well as members of the local and foreign observer missions have urged the citizenry to be calm and patient, the tension in the city has risen in the absence of official results.Members of the business community, in particular, have been forced to contend with the anxieties of their customers and staff and have opted to either not open or close early.At 10:30AM yesterday, when Stabroek News visited the commercial hubs of Regent Street, Water Street and Main Street, several businesses were closed. The Bourda Market was unusually quiet, with several stalls tightly shut and only a few customers milling around the area. Downtown Georgetown, which is usually congested with traffic, was clear.Workers in the open stores told Stabroek News that the businesses would remain open as long as there were persons shopping but very few were going to shop.On Water Street, several businesses, including Bounty, National Hard-ware, Giftland and N&S Mattai, were open.Staff at N&S Mattai assured Stabroek News that they would be open all day but by 2:30PM, when this newspaper checked again, it was closed as were several other businesses in the city. Those that were not closed appeared to be closing.A proprietor of a Regent Street store told Stabroek News that a few customers visited throughout the day and the store was closing since staff members were anxious to go home.Elections in Guyana have previously been marred by serious post-election violence, including damage to property and injury.In Sophia on Monday, a PPP/C command centre came under attack after residents alleged that they saw ballot boxes being taken there. Persons stoned the building and burned vehicles in the vicinity and refused to be dispersed even after riot police fired pellets into the crowd and opposition coalition members had ascertained that there were no ballot boxes there.
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