trained to man  polling stations located in Paramaribo decided to call it quits last week. Another problem popped up last Monday. As it turns out the chairpersons of the polling stations have threatened to also quit, due to the fact that most of them still haven't received their official papers which allow them to authorize somebody to vote on their behalf. “When will we receive our papers? The Ministry of Home Affairs (BIZA) has not delivered the papers on time. How can we give people the right to vote on our behalf if we lack the authorization?” The law clearly states that the authorization must be requested at the District Commissioner’s Office six days prior to Election Day. This year the elections will take place on May 25th. The chairpersons of the polling stations expressed shock over the fact that the preparations for the elections are so messy this year. The people who have been hired to work at polling stations complained about the lack of information.

Sources told Times of Suriname that the period to grant authorization expired last weekend. “Are we being stripped of the right to vote? What is the ministry doing?” The chairpersons are clearly puzzled by the way BIZA is handling the preparations for the elections. Not all of the nation’s voters can authorize another person to vote on their behalf.