A smiling Team NUPW yesterday after the final boxes were tallied at the NUPW headquarters on Wednesday night. Here the newly elected executive (from right) President Akanni McDowall; second VP Kim Webster; first VP Fabian Jones; second Deputy General Treasurer Corey Marshall; and General Treasurer Asokore Beckles bask in their victory.
TEAM NUPW led by Akanni McDowall swept all but one of the top posts of the executive on Wednesday night, with just one member missing the mark by just three votes.
The election, which the re-elected McDowall himself said was filled with controversy from the beginning until the end, saw the President almost doubling his competitor’s Roy Greenidge’s 556 votes with 1053.
Fabian Jones’ bid for first Vice President (VP) was successful, amassing 902 to Margo Bannister’s 598. The post of second VP went to Kim Webster with 791 to Kimberley Agard’s 689. Asokore Beckles retained the post of General Treasurer with 939, beating out Horace Deane with 574, while the office of Deputy General Treasurer went to Corey Marshall who beat out Michelle Brathwaite.
A call was made to recount the tally for the post of third VP, which saw David Denny amassing 236, Jane Albert Hall with 609, while Charles Bostic of Team Solidarity came in with 611 votes.
When The Barbados Advocate checked in at the NUPW after the polling stations had closed at 4pm, many of the boxes could be seen returning around 4:30 pm. The final polling station, at NUPW headquarters, was closed at 6 p.m and counting began at 6:30 p.m.
While speaking to the media in the Horatio Cooke Complex after the votes were returned some time after 9:30 p.m., McDowall acknowledged that there were some allegations of vote buying. “Those reports would have to be officially sent to the general secretary to investigate. That is her remit. She would investigate any allegations,” he stated.
General Secretary Rosalind Smith told the media that given the severity of the accusations of vote buying, or of supervisors denying employees their right to participate in the voting process, the matters would be investigated. “We have to be very careful when make those kinds of accusations,” she said, adding that if the matter of vote buying is found to be true, it would then become a matter for the Royal Barbados Police Force.
McDowall thanked the opposing team for running in the election.
“I think it takes great courage and commitment to try to represent the workers of this country. For that they must be commended,” he said.
Greenidge was unwilling to speak to the media.
The process was once again facilitated by advisor Allan Best of the Delian project, which is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to helping jurisdictions implement positive change in the democratic voting process, through the application of technology. He noted that while paper is still used in the ballot box, the tabulator machines scan the entries, which makes the counting process easier. The non-profit company was also used by the NUPW during the 2015 elections. (JH)