Sudden flood, mountainous commune still completes elections earliest in Da Nang

At about 11 am on March 15, in Tra Lien commune (Da Nang city), the last ballots were put into the ballot boxes by voters, marking the 100% participation of voters in the election (4,725 voters, of which nearly 50% are Cor ethnic people).

This result is even more special when just one day before, the temporary bridge across the Vi River - a vital traffic route connecting 4 villages with the commune center - was completely swept away by floodwaters.

The incident occurred in the early morning of March 14 after many days of heavy rain. When the Vi River water rose and flowed rapidly, the temporary bridge was damaged, putting thousands of voters on the other side of the river at risk of being cut off right before the election day.

Immediately after the incident occurred, local functional forces cordoned off both ends of the bridge, planted warning signs and mobilized machinery and manpower to urgently fix it. The bridge connection construction site operated throughout noon with the goal of clearing the route before the election day.

Mr. Nguyen Hong Vuong - Chairman of Tra Lien Commune People's Committee - said that on the other side of the river there are 4 electoral groups with more than 2,200 voters, so the locality has activated many contingency plans.

Election teams are arranged right in each village for people to vote on the spot, limiting the need to travel across the river. At the same time, functional forces are on duty to support voters returning from work far away. By noon on March 14, the temporary bridge was quickly reconnected" - Mr. Vuong said.

According to Mr. Vuong, the atmosphere of the election day in Tra Lien commune was vibrant. From early morning, many ethnic minority voters were present at the polling stations. Thanks to careful preparation, by 11 am on March 15, Tra Lien commune became the locality that completed the earliest election work of the entire city of Da Nang.

The atmosphere of the people's election day also spread strongly in Nam Tra My commune, where there are more than 4,300 voters, mostly Ca Dong and Xo Dang people living scattered in mountainous villages.

Right from 6 am, in traditional brocade costumes, many voters temporarily put aside farming to go to the polling station early.

People hope that the delegates after being elected will pay more attention to the livelihoods and lives of mountainous people" - Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Hien, a voter in Tra Mai village, shared.

Due to the complex terrain, many residential areas are far from the polling station, and election teams have brought auxiliary ballot boxes to the homes of elderly voters who are weak or have difficulty walking.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tra Mai, a member of Election Team No. 2 of Tra Mai village, said that bringing ballot boxes to each house helps all voters have the opportunity to directly participate in the big festival.

Old people and patients, when they get to vote directly, are all very touched because they still contribute their voices" - Ms. Mai said.

One of the images that moved many people on election day was Mrs. Ho Thi Lui, in Tak Lu village, Nam Tra My commune, 106 years old this year, still personally going to the polling station.

In the solemn atmosphere at the polling station, Mr. Lúi slowly held his ballot, showing the spirit of responsibility of a voter from the highlands despite being over a century old.

As of noon on March 15, thousands of voters in mountainous communes of Da Nang completed voting in a democratic, safe and regulated atmosphere.

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