MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Falklanders are voting for new Council
Although Polling Day for the Falkland Islands General Election 2005 is Thursday 17th November, many of the more remote electors have already cast their vote and mobile polling teams continue to travel the Islands by land and air to ensure that anyone who wants to, will have the opportunity to exercise their democratic right this week.
The Camp Constituency, although small in number with only 273 voters and five candidates to choose from, is vast in area and in order for all votes to be counted on Thursday polling teams actually began collecting votes last Monday.
Residents on several farms on West Falkland including Port Howard and Hill Cove were the first to begin casting their votes, when they were visited on Monday by overland mobile Polling Teams, traveling by Land Rover. Meanwhile, numerous smaller islands including Sea Lion Island and Pebble Island were also visited on Monday, by Polling Teams traveling with the Falkland Islands Government Air Service (FIGAS).
The operation continued on East Falkland on Tuesday, and the mobile Polling Teams may even stop by the roadside to allow an elector to cast his vote, should they happen to meet any along the track.
In addition to the mobile Polling Teams, there will be two Polling Stations in Camp on Thursday. On West Falkland, residents will be able to cast their vote at the Polling Station at Fox Bay, while East Falkland Camp voters will be able to visit the Goose Green Polling Station to determine which three candidates will be successful.
Voting in Stanley begins on Thursday morning at 10 o'clock. The 1.264 registered voters will be able to choose any five of twelve candidates, with four of the last Stanley councillors, hoping to be re-elected. Mike Summers, Jan Cheek, Richard Cockwell and John Birmingham are all hoping for another term in office, while Stephen Luxton has not stood again due to time constraints.
Once voting in Stanley closes at 18:00 hours, the count will begin, and it is hoped to have the result within two hours of the close of the Polling Station.
When the results are announced and the Falkland Islands have a new Legislative Council, it will be the culmination of nearly a week of polling, and many miles covered by the Polling Teams all over the Falklands.
Rob Burnett - Stanley
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