Election preliminary results inconclusive – postponed to 3pm today

The scene inside the Electoral Office at midnight last night as election results were slow in coming.

Staff Reporters

APIA, SAMOA – 10 APRIL 2021: The preliminary results of yesterday’s general elections remain inconclusive and the count still not complete and has been postponed to 3pm today (Saturday 10 April 2021).

The Electoral Commissioner, Faimalōmatumua Mathew Lemisio made the announcement close to 5.00 this morning after a long night of delays and slow inflow of results from the returning officers on the field.

He said the ballot boxes for three constituencies need to be opened in the presence of the scrutineers hence the postponement to 3.00 this afternoon.

He explained that the “forms” containing the preliminary results, have been locked in the sealed ballot boxes hence the need to open them in the presence of scrutineers. These results should have been delivered to him to check and count before posting the respective candidate’s results.

He did not name the three constituencies. However, there were more than three constituencies whose results remained incomplete at 5.00 this morning on the blackboards where the results are posted.

The winners and losers were already known at the polling booths but the results are empty on the OEC blackboards and not yet announced officially.

After 1100 last night, the Electoral office explained that the system had been down for 2 hours hence the delay in receiving the results from the field polling booths.

Two hours later, and hardly any results coming through, the ballot boxes arrived from Savaii. However, they still did not complete the results and the empty spaces against candidates names on the blackboards.

Slow Internet Blamed
By 5.00 this morning, the Electoral Commissioner explained “let’s all have a rest and that the count for preliminary results be postponed to this afternoon.”

Asked about the system breakdowns, the Commissioner said it was not the system, but the slow internet connections due to congestion.

The major parties, HRPP and FAST had reporting systems that relayed the results from the voting booths when the results were announced and upon which their count of 25-25-1 was based.

In fact thanksgiving prayers and celebrations were already underway for some winning candidates after the results were announced at the polling booths. However, the same results still had not been received at the Electoral Commissioners Office.

The Commissioner said the final count starts on Monday and hopes to have the final result by Thursday next week.