NLD party can learn lesson from By-elections, says Mandalay CM

06 November 2018
NLD party can learn lesson from By-elections, says Mandalay CM
Mandalay Region government Chief Minister Dr. Zaw Myint Maung. Photo: Thura/Mizzima

Mandalay Region government Chief Minister Dr. Zaw Myint Maung said that the ruling party National League for Democracy (NLD) party could learn a lesson from the recent By-elections in which NLD contested all 13 vacant seats and only won six of them.

“Our party got a lesson from these By-elections. We can have time for preparations for the coming 2020 general elections. Our party was defeated in some constituencies unexpectedly. We could win only seven seats and were defeated in the remaining six seats,” Mandalay Region government CM and Vice-Chairman of NLD party (Central) said. 

The NLD won in Mandalay Region ethnic Shan Affairs Minister seat, Thabeikkyin constituency lower house seat and Myingyan constituency lower house seat in parliamentary seats. The NLD won a total 7 seats in parliamentary and local assembly seats and they lost in a total six seats.

For the Mandalay Region, ethnic Shan Affaris Minister seat, NLD candidate Sai Pan Saing aka Sai Tun Sein aka Kyaw Sein received 7,167 votes (40.71%), Shan National League for Democracy (SNLD) candidate Nan Htwe Hmong got 4,652 votes (26.42%), Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) candidate Sai Aung Kyi got 4,103 (23.3%), Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP) candidate Dr. Sai Kyaw Ohn got 954 votes (5.42%), and individual candidate Aung Htay got 730 votes (4.15%).

A total of five candidates contested in this vacant seat. There were a total 42,463 eligible voters and 17,964 voters cast their votes at 364 polling stations. The Union Election Commission (UEC) recognized NLD candidate Sai Pan Saing aka Sai Tun Sein aka Kyaw Sein as the winning candidate in this vacant seat as per section 49(b) of Parliament Election Law. 

For the Mandalay Region, Myingyan lower house vacant seat, NLD candidate Sein Myint got 67,659 votes (75.82%), USDP candidate Dr. Than Win got 17,025 votes (19.08%), Democratic Party for a New Society (DPNS) got 3,425 votes (3.84%) People’s Labour Party candidate Ye Kyaw Aung got 1,129 votes (1.26%). In this vacant seat, there are a total 218,659 eligible voters out of which 91,130 voters cast their votes. UEC recognized and confirmed NLD candidate Sein Myint as the winning candidate in this vacant seat as per section 49(b) of Parliament Election Law.

For the Mandalay Region, Thabeikkyin constituency lower house vacant seat NLD candidate got 12,502 votes (60.85%), USDP candidate Myint Soe got 5,220 votes (25.41%), National Unity Party (NUP) candidate Nyi Nyi got 1,971 votes (9.59%), Democratic Party candidate Aung Kyi Myaing got 314 votes (1.53%), Union Labour and Peasants’ Forces Party candidate Min Thu got 172 votes (0.84%), National Democratic Forces Party candidate Zaw Min Tun Shein got 320 votes (1.56%) and National United Democratic Party candidate Myint Naing got 46 votes (0.22%). A total seven candidates contested in this vacant seat and there are total 49,662 eligible voters in this constituency and out of which total 21,189 voters cast their votes at total 45 polling stations. UEC recognized and confirmed NLD candidate Soe Lwin as winning candidate of this Thabeikkyin lower house constituency vacant seat as per section 49(b) of Parliament Election Law. 

In Mandalay Region there are total over 310,000 eligible voters in these vacant constituencies in these By-elections but only about 130,000 voters cast their votes. The statistics released by UEC said that the voter turnout in these vacant seats in Mandalay Region was only around 41%.