‘Very, very smooth’ process as President, First Lady vote in Local Gov’t elections

As voting began at the break of dawn Monday morning in Local Government elections, President Irfaan Ali and his wife, First Lady Arya Ali, cast their ballots at the Leonora Technical Institute, West Coast Demerara.

The President described the voting process as “very, very smooth.”

“I thought it was very professional, and very smooth and very efficient,” the President told reporters.

Historically, turnout for local government elections is usually low and the early morning rains did not help. And President Ali acknowledged that citizens don’t apply the same level of “urgency and seriousness” to local government elections as they do for national elections.

But he underscored the need for citizens to turnout to vote, saying the elections are “very, very important.”

“They are important for the democracy system, they are important for the renewal of leadership, they are important for the development of communities, for the synergy between Central Government and local government.”

The President and his wife voted at Leonora, his home village, as he did not make a transfer and change his address to his official residence at State House in Georgetown.