Guyana News

The Alliance For Change this morning said that early indications are that no party will gain a parliamentary majority.

After a high voter turnout that was projected to reach record numbers, the Guyana Elec-tions Commission (Gecom) suffered a delay in the planned release of preliminary results last night.

Voters turned out in their numbers and early yesterday, some queuing up since before 5 am at various polling places.

The four political parties contesting the elections yesterday welcomed the large voter turnout at yesterday polls, which most parties agreed were generally well-conducted.

Head of the Organisation of American States (OAS) Observer Mission Professor Gordon Shirley is hopeful that voter numbers at the 2011 general and regional elections could reach record numbers and is pleased with the eagerness shown among the electorate, half of which is estimated to have voted by midday yesterday.

Though there were tense moments as voters streamed in and out of polling stations on the East Bank Demerara (EBD) yesterday, there were a few light moments which helped relieve the strained atmosphere.

Police thwarted what appears to be an attempt at vote-rigging last night at the Camptown Community Centre and arrested at least one person who tried to remove a ballot box from the location about two hours after the close of poll yesterday.

Dozens of heavily armed ranks including riot police converged on the Tucville area after at least one man allegedly attempted to take possession of ballot boxes.

Outgoing president Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday commended members of the police force for taking swift action in Region 7 on Sunday, after a man and two of his accomplices attempted to ambush police officers who were escorting ballot boxes.

A 70-year-old woman has been left in a critical condition after she was knocked down by a taxi on the Buxton, East Coast Demerara main road on Friday last.

Two first time voters in the Bagotville area show

Presidential Advisor on Empowerment, Odinga Lumumba was yesterday accused of pushing and verbally abusing a Presiding Officer (PO) after she refused to allow a PPP/C observer, who did not have any identification, to enter her station.

Police last evening escorted Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Manniram Prashad from the New Campbellville Secondary School after he entered the compound of the polling place around 6 pm.

The RUSAL-owned Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc yesterday said it had made buses available to transport its workers to polling stations.

Relatives of a miner, who died on Friday and whose autopsy revealed that he died of respiratory failure due to a severed spine and injuries to the nape, suspect foul play.

Several persons in different areas around the country were unable to exercise their franchise, for varying reasons.

Two persons who had been arrested in connection with the murder of 27-year-old Amelia Ford, popularly known as ‘Skittle Foot’ were yesterday released after neither of them were recognised as the man the woman was last seen with.

A 25-year-old man of Amelia’s Ward was arrested by police after he was found with 520 grammes of leaves and stems believed to be cannabis.

Fourteen-year-old Jamela Piggott left her Hadfield Street, Lodge home on Tuesday and has not returned home since.

Outgoing president Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday expressed pleasure over the smooth progress of voting moments after casting his final ballot as head of state at the Christ Church Secondary polling station, Georgetown.