Rhondda MP Chris Bryant of "me in my underpants fame" was spotted last week in the Pontypridd Maritime Industrial Park trying to hand a brown envelope full of postal vote requests to the Returning Officer. This all happened on Friday 15th April at the Electoral Offices as he and his agent handed in
their nomination papers. The returning officer duly told Mr Bryant that
anyone handing in MORE than 2 postal vote requests would be reported to the
Police. The Rhondda MP promptly snatched back the bulging A4 envelope and declared that he would keep them after all!
Returning Officer Douglas Williams was shocked by the complacency and total
disregard shown by the Labour candidate. "This is the sort of action that
brings postal voting into disrepute," he said.
Cynon Valley Conservative PPC Antonia Dunn is very concerned about postal
votes. "There will be over 10,000 postal votes in this valley constituency
alone. Given that there are only 48,000 voters on the register in Cynon
Valley and that there is expected to be low turn out, no political party can
afford to abuse the system. I think it is quite wrong for any party activist let alone MP or candidate to be collecting individual's voting forms. This type of carry-on is too open to fraud as recently demonstrated in the Birmingham conviction."
"I would urge anyone who suspects postal vote fraud to contact the Electoral Registration office on 01443 490100 or get in touch with the Police," she told the Cynon Valley Beacon.
Dr Abdul Abulbul Amir, a high-ranking member of the new Iraqi administration, told The Beacon that he was looking forward to his new posting.
"We were all deeply disturbed by a recent report which highlighted shocking human rights abuses in what claims to be a civilised democracy," he told a Beacon reporter, from his temporary headquarters above a kebab shop in Mountain Ash.
We've been sent these exclusive pictures of the clock tower of the former Boys Grammar School being removed.
THE ELECTION SPECIAL
OUT ON MAY 6