5 Nov 2010

100,000 Samoans register for March election

1:08 pm on 5 November 2010

Samoa's electoral commissioner says he expects more than 100,000 people to have registered for voting in next year's general elections.

Voting registration closed yesterday afternoon.

Tanuvasa Lemesio says a last minute rush by people to get registered resulted in the electoral office floor collapsing.

"Well it's the final rush because the votes closed yesterday so there was a last rush for people to get registered. A lot of people surged into the area and I think the structure there, because being an old building, the weight was just too much and it couldn't hold anymore and began to break down."

Tanuvasa Lemesio says the old building is being renovated.

He says fortunately no one was hurt in the incident.