Poll chaos throws spotlight on creaking British system
LONDON — The poll deadlock gripping Britain has fuelled criticism of its creaking electoral system — ranging from anger over chaotic voting arrangements to bemusement at how power is shared out afterwards. In the country renowned for the so-called mother of parliaments, it was embarrassing to be accused by African observers of serious organizational lapses at polling stations last Thursday. Hundreds of voters in urban areas were left fuming after being preventing from casting their ballots because they were still queuing outside at 10 p.m. (2100 GMT) when voting stations closed. “What does it say about the state of our democracy?” asked Dr. Stuart Wilks-Heeg of the University of Liverpool. “We can project election outcomes using sophisticated ... forecasting techniques, but we cannot devise a voting system which can cope with a fairly moderate increase in turnout in some densely populated urban areas.”.... MORE Source: The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100511com3.html |
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