By IANS,
London : The British voting system is “a recipe for corruption”, election monitors from developing countries have said after thousands of people complained of not being allowed to vote.
International election observers said the integrity of the polls was at risk as it was based on trust rather than thorough identity checks. They expressed doubt over the legitimacy of the election result, reported timesonline.co.uk Sunday.
“The allegations of fraud and of voters being turned away threaten the integrity of the vote, especially in marginal constituencies where candidates have a majority of less than 1,000.
“The number of seats the Tories needed for an absolute majority is not that high – this could have made the difference. One candidate told me that the British system is possibly the most corruptible in the whole world,” Kenyan MP Ababu Namwamba was quoted as saying.
The media report said that election monitors from the developing world warned that the British voting system was less secure than in their own countries.
Sierra Leone MP Marie Marilyn Jalloh said: “There has to be doubt over the legitimacy of the result. Where people have been disenfranchised or cases of fraud are found there should be another vote. In my country this would be very controversial.”
She went on to say: “Your system is a recipe for corruption; it was a massive shock when I saw you didn’t need any identification to vote. In Sierra Leone you need an identity card and also to give your fingerprint. Here you need nothing. In this respect, our own system is more secure than yours.”
“I was shocked by the lack of checks,” said Jamaican MP Lisa Hanna.