Chairman of the Congress of the People elections commission, Vallence Rambharat, yesterday said there was a 25 per cent increase in voters turnout at Sunday's national executive internal elections.

In a media release yesterday, Rambharat said 2,064 members voted this year, compared to 1,650 from the 2010 elections. The political party has a membership of 42,000 but only 32,000 are registered to vote, according to Dr Omar Ali, the party's communications secretary.

Voting took place at 20 polling stations throughout the country for the eight contested posts. Rambharat said 67 ballots were rejected and Deosaran Kenny Jagdeosingh, who vied for the post of secretary-public relations against Chezette Baillie, asked for a recount.

In the overall results, new chairman Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan earned 1,191 votes trumping incumbent Joseph Toney's 619 and Rekha Ramjit's 243.

In the vice chairman position, Nicole Dyer-Griffith earned 1,252 votes to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of long-time party member Vernon de Lima.

Her rivals, Hugh Nurse earned 223 votes and Vido Ramroop got 411.

For the position of secretary for finance, Sharon Ramnarine got 1,011 votes while Kerry Ann Sudama got 632. In the post of secretary field operations, Kirt Sinette earned 744 votes, while Gilbert Agard got 596 and Alvin Cudjoe got 294.

Ali retained his position as secretary of communications with 1,230 votes, while Rudolph Hanamji, son of Nalini Dial, got 452.

Both Dial and her son resigned from the party on Sunday.

With the recount for the position of secretary of public relations pending, at the count on Sunday, Baillie earned 823 while Jagdeosingh got 820.

In the post of secretary for elections and voter registration, Wendell Eversley got 917, while Satu Ann Ramcharan got 774.

Liza Henzell won the post of secretary for membership and mobilisation with 860 votes, edging past Naidu Phowdar who earned a close 817.