USDP wins polls with advance votes in Kachin State

Bawk Ja, Kachin candidate of NDF for Hpakant township, Kachin State. Photo: Kachin News Group

As the votes are being counted in the first election in Burma in 20 years, the government-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) seems to be leading the opposition in many constituencies in Kachin State because of advance votes, said the opposition parties.

In Hpakant township, the National Democratic Force (NDF) party candidate, Daw Bawk Ja, was leading when the polls closed. However, the USDP candidate, former Northern Regional commander Maj-Gen Ohn Myint, won most of the polls when the advance votes were added in.

As well, the NDF was leading the race for the seat in the People’s parliament in Kamaing Township, Sam Chyoi village, but lost in the end, when the advance votes were added into the count, said polling station staff.

“They could only win with advance votes. There is no other way to win. All advance votes are marked in the same style, and it was clear the USDP have set this up,” NDF candidate Bawk Ja said.

“They (the authorities) said those advance votes are from hospital patients and prisoners in jail. However, the votes are all marked in exactly the same way,” she said suspiciously.

The NDF won significantly in the Jade Land area. In Gat Chyang Yang, the party got 531 votes, the USDP 38 votes, and the White Tiger party (SNDP) has 5 votes. In Dum Bang village the NDF got 737 votes, the USDP 139, and the SNDP 47, according to a local source.

However, before the election, the junta set up 17 ballot boxes for every jade mine company which has about 1,000 miners, in Hpakant Jade Land. That made them successful in many constituencies.

At the Patamya and Yatana companies, the USDP won half of the votes. And, at Myanmar Tagaung Company the owner himself voted for the USDP.

The NDF party organizer of Seng Tawng town, Hpakant township said, “Advance votes were cast for the USDP because Hpakant Ohn Myint organized all government department workers and all company employees so that all of them gave their vote to this lion.”

In Myitkyina, the Capital City of Kachin State, the National Unity Party (NUP) was worried about the advance votes for the USDP.

“Advance votes were collected in the whole country, and here the authorities took advance votes from colleges, nurse training schools and teacher training schools.  All votes were cast for Thein Zaw (the USDP candidate) so we really worried about the advance votes,” said NUP candidate, Kaman Du Naw, who ran for a seat in the State Parliament.

Lawyer Myint Twin said, “In some polling stations the NDF was leading by the people’s vote, but the USDP defeated them in the end with advance votes.”

He said some advance votes were made by polling station officers and some votes didn’t have the proper seal of the commission chief. He said votes without the seal are almost all for the USDP, and most votes with the seal are for the NDF.

The lawyer said, there is a provision in the election law allowing second place candidates to raise objections in a court, if there is evidence of election fraud.

Three candidates Bawk Ja from NDF, Ohn Myit from USDP and Maung Maung Aye from SNDP ran for the People’s Parliament seat for Hpakant township.

Source:http://kachinnews.com/news/1790-usdp-wins-polls-with-advance-votes-in-kachin-state.html