Yesterday was the last day to register for the 2021 Samoa general elections and there were reports of pandemonium in Apia.
RNZ Pacific's correspondent says there were accounts of people fainting, babies being lost in the crowd and traffic jams, as the Office of the Electoral Commission tried to cope with an unexpected last minute rush ahead of the 4pm deadline.
Qeues were made worse by some people, who had already registered, but wanted to make changes to their details, such as the constituency they were registered to vote in.
Under the amended Electoral Act 2019, voters can only change constituencies after 10 years at their last registration, but there have been reports of some people still trying to force the issue.
Overwhelmed by the swell of eligible voters, which reportedly saw some glass doors breaking in the press, the Commission was forced to change location in order to cope with the heavy traffic.
Newsline Samoa reports electoral commission staff were under noticeable pressure amid calls for the government to extend the deadline.