Burma’s first election in two decades is still four days away, but the military junta may have already obtained a majority vote for its proxy party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), through its efforts to obtain advance votes.
USDP sources said that key junta members and USDP party leaders have ensured Than Shwe that the USDP has already secured at least 30 percent of the seats in parliament through advance voting. And according to USDP data, the party is also guaranteed to win in 52 constituencies where there is no other party contesting.
In addition, under the 2008 Constitution, 25 percent of the seats in the Upper House and Lower House of the Union Parliament, and in the 14 regional and state parliaments, will be military officers directly appointed by the commander-in-chief of the Tatmadaw (Burma’s armed forces).
The advance votes have been collected from groups such as soldiers, government ministry employees, citizens living outside of Burma, prisoners and hospital patients.
However, the apparent 55 percent of the vote already obtained by the USDP will not be enough to satisfy junta chief Snr-Gen Than Shwe.
USDP sources said Than Shwe has told his aides repeatedly, since even before the election was announced, that he wanted at least 85 percent of the vote in order both to control parliament and to rewrite history and wipe-out the lingering memory of the National League for Democracy's landslide victory in the 1990 elections, which was ignored by the junta.
“Than Shwe wants to overturn the NLD's 1990 election results, when they won over 80 percent of the constituencies. So he wants 84 or 85 percent of the seats in each of the parliaments. But unless they use false votes, this will be quite difficult for the USDP,” said Win Min, a Burmese political and military researcher.
“Than Shwe has talked about [how to secure a landslide election victory] at the four-monthly meetings with military commanders and ministers for a long time. But he has issued detailed instructions since early 2008,” said a USDP candidate who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“Than Shwe was very happy about the results of the constitutional referendum in 2008, when more than 92 percent of votes were in favor of the Constitution. And he ordered that the 2010 election be organized like the 2008 referendum,” he said.
Although the USDP and regime leaders may not have Than Shwe's desired 85 percent actually in hand, they are confidant that they will when the polls close.
USDP General Secretary Htay Oo, who is also the minister of agriculture and irrigation, said at a Nov. 27 press conference in Rangoon that the USDP is confident of winning because it has 16-18 million members out of Burma's 29 million voters.
In addition, the USDP is contesting 1171 seats, 171 more than the second largest party, the National Unity Party, which was previously called the Burmese Socialist Programme Party and was founded by former dictator Gen Ne Win.
The junta and USDP also have plans to secure block votes on polling day. Under one method, the “representing vote,” military commanders and senior officials in government ministries will vote on behalf of lower-ranking soldiers and junior staff, respectively. Another method would have government staffers going to the polls together on Nov. 7 to vote as a group.
“It is a repeat of the 2008 referendum, when authorities, ministries officers and polling officers voted for others,” said a government staffer in Naypyidaw. “Now the regime is using the same tactics to secure votes in the election.”
To bolster their efforts to secure advance and group votes, military commanders and USDP leaders who are also government ministers have resorted to intimidation and threats.
During their tours of government projects and industrial zones in Rangoon, Mandalay and other large cities, some openly told constituents that the USDP was “the Tatmadaw’s party.”
“Maj-Gen Tin Ngwe [chief of the Bureau of Special Operations-5], Rangoon Commander Brig-Gen Tun Than and Rangoon Mayor U Aung Thein Lin told workers at my factory that we must vote the Tatmadaw’s party because it will remain the most important one in power,” said a factory owner from Hlaing Thar Yar Industrial Zone, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
According to local sources from Magway region, officials from a Defense Industry station in Myothit Township threatened villagers with forced relocation unless they vote for the USDP.
Source:http://irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=19937
USDP sources said that key junta members and USDP party leaders have ensured Than Shwe that the USDP has already secured at least 30 percent of the seats in parliament through advance voting. And according to USDP data, the party is also guaranteed to win in 52 constituencies where there is no other party contesting.
In addition, under the 2008 Constitution, 25 percent of the seats in the Upper House and Lower House of the Union Parliament, and in the 14 regional and state parliaments, will be military officers directly appointed by the commander-in-chief of the Tatmadaw (Burma’s armed forces).
The advance votes have been collected from groups such as soldiers, government ministry employees, citizens living outside of Burma, prisoners and hospital patients.
However, the apparent 55 percent of the vote already obtained by the USDP will not be enough to satisfy junta chief Snr-Gen Than Shwe.
USDP sources said Than Shwe has told his aides repeatedly, since even before the election was announced, that he wanted at least 85 percent of the vote in order both to control parliament and to rewrite history and wipe-out the lingering memory of the National League for Democracy's landslide victory in the 1990 elections, which was ignored by the junta.
“Than Shwe wants to overturn the NLD's 1990 election results, when they won over 80 percent of the constituencies. So he wants 84 or 85 percent of the seats in each of the parliaments. But unless they use false votes, this will be quite difficult for the USDP,” said Win Min, a Burmese political and military researcher.
“Than Shwe has talked about [how to secure a landslide election victory] at the four-monthly meetings with military commanders and ministers for a long time. But he has issued detailed instructions since early 2008,” said a USDP candidate who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“Than Shwe was very happy about the results of the constitutional referendum in 2008, when more than 92 percent of votes were in favor of the Constitution. And he ordered that the 2010 election be organized like the 2008 referendum,” he said.
Although the USDP and regime leaders may not have Than Shwe's desired 85 percent actually in hand, they are confidant that they will when the polls close.
USDP General Secretary Htay Oo, who is also the minister of agriculture and irrigation, said at a Nov. 27 press conference in Rangoon that the USDP is confident of winning because it has 16-18 million members out of Burma's 29 million voters.
In addition, the USDP is contesting 1171 seats, 171 more than the second largest party, the National Unity Party, which was previously called the Burmese Socialist Programme Party and was founded by former dictator Gen Ne Win.
The junta and USDP also have plans to secure block votes on polling day. Under one method, the “representing vote,” military commanders and senior officials in government ministries will vote on behalf of lower-ranking soldiers and junior staff, respectively. Another method would have government staffers going to the polls together on Nov. 7 to vote as a group.
“It is a repeat of the 2008 referendum, when authorities, ministries officers and polling officers voted for others,” said a government staffer in Naypyidaw. “Now the regime is using the same tactics to secure votes in the election.”
To bolster their efforts to secure advance and group votes, military commanders and USDP leaders who are also government ministers have resorted to intimidation and threats.
During their tours of government projects and industrial zones in Rangoon, Mandalay and other large cities, some openly told constituents that the USDP was “the Tatmadaw’s party.”
“Maj-Gen Tin Ngwe [chief of the Bureau of Special Operations-5], Rangoon Commander Brig-Gen Tun Than and Rangoon Mayor U Aung Thein Lin told workers at my factory that we must vote the Tatmadaw’s party because it will remain the most important one in power,” said a factory owner from Hlaing Thar Yar Industrial Zone, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
According to local sources from Magway region, officials from a Defense Industry station in Myothit Township threatened villagers with forced relocation unless they vote for the USDP.
Source:http://irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=19937
Comments
Post a Comment