NewzVille Desk
Thousands of people gathered outside a vote-counting centre in Seoul, calling for a re-run of South Korea’s local elections after ballot shortages disrupted voting at a number of polling stations.
The demonstration took place outside the SK Olympic Handball Stadium, where ballots from Wednesday’s local elections were being counted. Voters cast ballots to elect mayors, provincial governors, county officials and members of local assemblies.
Many protesters said concerns over the conduct of the election were heightened by videos and social media posts that questioned the vote count and highlighted reports of ballot shortages.
According to election officials, 50 of the country’s 14,300 polling stations ran out of ballots during voting. Polling was also temporarily suspended at 22 stations because of delays in receiving additional ballot supplies.
Authorities have maintained that the disruptions affected only a small number of polling stations, but the incidents have prompted demands from some groups for a fresh vote.
