ST MARY, Jamaica – Malgorzata Walsilewska, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Jamaica, says she is pleased with the process of the election day activities so far, but is however concerned about the slow pace at which the exercise is undertaken in some polling stations due to the observance of COVID-19 protocols.

“So far I’m very impressed, I already had a lot of faith in the electoral commission and the process of organising voting. I’m pretty impressed with the distancing that is kept, the instructions and the measures that are taken in the context of COVID.

“The challenge for me is the long queues that I see. As they go through the day and people may have to stand in the heat, they may get tired or fed up of waiting because of the slow pace caused by additional procedures that have to be in place,” she told OBSERVER ONLINE.

Walsilewska made a short stop at the Annotto Bay Primary and Infant School, during her trek across the parish to observe how the election was being undertaken. She noted that elections represented one of the most important political moments for any country. 

“We will visit throughout the day a number of polling stations, mostly in St Mary and some parts of rural St Andrew,” she said noting that though the mission was not a full observation mission, but  one more out of curiosity, she will be taking a general view of how the process is undertaken.

“What we are looking at is the general atmosphere, the safety measures, the sanitisation, the distancing and wearing of masks. We will also be looking at what goes on inside the polling stations, how the process is organised, how instructions are given and if adequate assistance is given to people that may need it,” she said.

Kellaray Miles