Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – All Mon Region Democracy Party (AMRDP) general secretary and Mudon constituency candidate Dr. Min Nwe Soe has alleged voting irregularities such as campaigning inside polling stations and proxy voting in villages in Mudon Township, Mon State.
The competing candidates are from the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), the National Unity Party (NUP) and AMRDP. The National Democratic Force (NDF) contested only for the Pyithu Hluttaw (lower house) constituency but the other three parties contested for all three legislative bodies.
I’ve heard there were voting irregularities in your constituency. Is this true?Polling station agents from the USDP conducted electoral campaigning inside the polling booth. Then we lodged a complaint and later they stopped it. They did this work as if it were legal.
A similar incident occurred at Wette village polling station No. 2 where the ward Peace and Development Council (PDC) member U Cho and his team conducted campaigning inside the polling station for the USDP. The polling station chief didn’t say anything to them but our township party office informed the town’s election commission about the incident. The commission however told us to direct our complaints only to the local officials concerned. It seems they’ve been simply ignoring such incidents.
At Nyaungone village polling station No. 2, the polling official was a nurse called Htay Hlaing. I don’t know her exact function … whether she was just issuing ballot papers or checking the electoral roll … but she filled in votes for the USDP on behalf of voters. The polling station chief raised no objections to her activities.
These were the significant incidents that happened in our locality.
How about voter security and privacy?
The voting kiosks were too small and the person standing beside you could see who you were voting for. So … there was no privacy or security in voting. The kiosks were too small and hampered ballot secrecy.
What security personnel were deployed at polling stations?
Security staff were deployed inside and outside polling stations but those inside were unarmed and out of uniform … Outside the stations, I didn’t see anyone with weapons or in uniform.
As far as you know, which party won the largest share of the vote?
I couldn’t determine that yet. The vote counting has only just started and … the voter turnout was a mere 50 per cent.
