Taang (Palaung) National Party (TNP) members in Northern Shan State’s Namkham township sent a submission to Union Election Commissions (UEC) to revise the 7 November elections results to be “free and fair”, according to party’s submission letter.
“Township election commission said we were allowed to appeal. But we are not sure whether they will consider our submission or not,” Mai Ohn Khaing, General Secretary of the party.
According to the party, many voters in Man Pu village tract were denied the right to vote on the elections day because officers in charge of the polling station said that their votes had already been cast and counted in advance voting events without their knowledge.
Yet again people in Mat Sat village tract were told to return though they held token papers, which were issued in advance in lieu of ID cards.
“Before they [authorities] said anyone who had a token paper could vote. They themselves made it [token papers]. But only people who had ID cards were allowed to vote on that day. People who did not have ID cards had to return,” the letter said.
In Burma, most people living on the outskirts of the towns and rural areas do not have ID cards because some of them could not afford the cost of making ID cards and some thought that they had nowhere to travel and did not apply for them.
Another complaint was that dozens of people, who were still under 18 years old in Panhsay village tract under the control of militia leader and candidate for Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) Kyaw Myint, were also seen casting votes, the letter said.
“And some people were allowed to vote two or three times. For some voters officials appointed by the township EC cast the votes on their behalf. We [TNP candidates] are therefore asking the UEC to take action,” it said.
Kyaw Myint later won the seat of state legislature in Namkham Constituency No.2.
He was reported to have beaten his Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP) rival with advance votes plus the votes from his controlled areas, local sources reported.
“Before the ballot boxes from Kyaw Myint’s controlled areas arrived, SNDP candidate Sai Zaw Hla already got over 8,000 and Kyaw Myint 3,600 plus and Taang (Palaung) National Party 3,500 on the elections day. But later we heard that Kyaw Myint had won by some 600 votes over his SNDP rival after 20 ballot boxes coming from the hills were counted,” a local villager said.
The SNDP member speaking to SHAN claimed the ballot boxes from Kyaw Myint’s arrived on the next day at night time, one day after the elections.
“There was no ballot papers inside the ballot boxes, but the election commission (EC) said the votes had already been counted. The results were informed to us through phone messages telling us Kyaw Myint got 600 more votes than us.”
There were four parities contesting in the township, National Unity Party (NUP), Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP), Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and TNP.
Source:http://shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3319:taang-party-demands-union-election-commission-to-act-on-polls-frauds&catid=85:politics&Itemid=266
“Township election commission said we were allowed to appeal. But we are not sure whether they will consider our submission or not,” Mai Ohn Khaing, General Secretary of the party.
According to the party, many voters in Man Pu village tract were denied the right to vote on the elections day because officers in charge of the polling station said that their votes had already been cast and counted in advance voting events without their knowledge.
Yet again people in Mat Sat village tract were told to return though they held token papers, which were issued in advance in lieu of ID cards.
“Before they [authorities] said anyone who had a token paper could vote. They themselves made it [token papers]. But only people who had ID cards were allowed to vote on that day. People who did not have ID cards had to return,” the letter said.
In Burma, most people living on the outskirts of the towns and rural areas do not have ID cards because some of them could not afford the cost of making ID cards and some thought that they had nowhere to travel and did not apply for them.
Another complaint was that dozens of people, who were still under 18 years old in Panhsay village tract under the control of militia leader and candidate for Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) Kyaw Myint, were also seen casting votes, the letter said.
“And some people were allowed to vote two or three times. For some voters officials appointed by the township EC cast the votes on their behalf. We [TNP candidates] are therefore asking the UEC to take action,” it said.
Kyaw Myint later won the seat of state legislature in Namkham Constituency No.2.
He was reported to have beaten his Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP) rival with advance votes plus the votes from his controlled areas, local sources reported.
“Before the ballot boxes from Kyaw Myint’s controlled areas arrived, SNDP candidate Sai Zaw Hla already got over 8,000 and Kyaw Myint 3,600 plus and Taang (Palaung) National Party 3,500 on the elections day. But later we heard that Kyaw Myint had won by some 600 votes over his SNDP rival after 20 ballot boxes coming from the hills were counted,” a local villager said.
The SNDP member speaking to SHAN claimed the ballot boxes from Kyaw Myint’s arrived on the next day at night time, one day after the elections.
“There was no ballot papers inside the ballot boxes, but the election commission (EC) said the votes had already been counted. The results were informed to us through phone messages telling us Kyaw Myint got 600 more votes than us.”
There were four parities contesting in the township, National Unity Party (NUP), Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP), Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and TNP.
Source:http://shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3319:taang-party-demands-union-election-commission-to-act-on-polls-frauds&catid=85:politics&Itemid=266
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