By Nelson Manneh
Voter turnout in Farato Polling centres for the National Assembly elections was low compared to that of the Presidential Elections. As Gambians went to the polls on April 6, 2017 to vote for the candidate of their choice, it was observed that people were coming in bits and there was no congestion. Farato Bojang Kunda is a polling center in Farato which is part of Brikama North Constituency. At the said polling center, there are two stations with the numbers 30803-1 and 30803-2 respectively.
It was also observed that the various presiding officers and their team including polling officers, polling agents and the police as well as the party agents were all present before voting started. The normal procedures of emptying the ballot drums to make sure that it is empty and sealing it were all observed accordingly and elections started exactly at the stated time.
Ebrima EBS Njie and Lamin Kanyi were the presiding officers in polling station 1 and 2 respectively.
The NRP Candidate, Kebba Bah, cast his vote in Polling Station number 2. He expressed his gratefulness of the electoral process saying, “I am impressed in the way things are being done.” He asserted that all the candidates in the constituency met to discuss the way forward noting that they have agreed to rally behind anyone declared the winner of the elections. “I have no heart feeling for anyone declared the winner because the people have the vested right to elect the winner”, he concluded.
Speaking to the electorate, one Mariama Saine, expressed her disappointment with the low voter turnout questioning why people did not turn out to vote. “This is the only time we the citizens manifest our civic rights.” According to her, she has voiced out what is in her in the ballot box and expects others to come out and vote for those they think can be their true representatives in the National Assembly. She said she will go home, wait patiently and listen to the election results later in the evening. She urges all the voters to cast their votes and accept anyone voted into the National Assembly describing it as the verdict of the people.
