Prompt start to Anse Boileau by-election |26 February 2018

The main polling day yesterday for the by-election in the Anse Boileau district got off to a  prompt start at 7am in the presence of all three contesting candidates -- Ralph Volcère (Independent candidate), Phillip Arissol (Linyon Demokratik Seselwa) and Louis Loizeau (Seychelles Patriotic Movement).

Both Mr Loizeau and Mr Arissol casted their votes following the opening of the station. However Mr Volcère did not vote as he is not a resident of the district.

Meanwhile, voting for this by-election started the day before (Saturday) at special polling stations for people who could not vote on the main polling day.

In all three special polling stations were set up on Saturday – at North East Point, Perseverance and on Praslin. They all opened at 8am on Saturday morning.

At the station based in the North East Point home for elderly there were three registered voters but no one voted even after the Electoral Commission (EC) had extended the opening time by another hour.

The station was originally intended to close at 9am but according to the presiding officer Nicholas Shamlaye the closing time was extended by one hour as the EC felt that since it is a home for elderly, the voters would not have been awake during polling time.

As the clock struck 10am, Mr Shamlaye sealed the 50 unused ballot papers and envelopes in the box to be sent to the office of the ECS.

For Perseverance there were 78 eligible voters on the list but only 26 casted their votes.

On Praslin a total of 23 voters who are temporarily residing or working on Praslin and La Digue were registered on the list but according to the assistant presiding officer Meltanne Uzice not all voters casted their votes.

She said that about seven people stepped in towards the closing of the polling station and their names did not appear on the list but they were able to vote via affidavits and having been identified by people who were present in the room.

The station in Baie Ste Anne Praslin closed at noon per schedule.

This by-election in the Anse Boileau district was prompted by the unexpected resignation of the district’s former elected National Assembly member Patrick Pillay, who was also the Speaker of this institution.