'Majority satisfied' with NI vote conduct

Some 90 per cent of the public were satisfied with how the North's Assembly elections were held in March, according to research published today.

The Northern Ireland Electoral Commission said a Mori study showed that 90 per cent said they were very or fairly satisfied with their overall experience of the elections.

It also said that no complaints of electoral fraud on polling day had been received by the commission despite a perception that irregularities persist.

Electoral Commissioner Karamjit Singh, said elections in Northern Ireland had undergone "considerable transformation in the last few years.

"Changes such as individual registration, and the requirement for photographic ID at polling stations, have paved the way for elections that are now largely free from allegations of electoral fraud."

Seamus Magee, head of the Commission's Office in Northern Ireland, said there was increased confidence in the electoral system "which is borne out by a more accurate and robust electoral register and elections largely free from fraud".