Floods won't stop election in Myanmar
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The November 8 election will not be postponed despite a provision in the Constitution to delay a poll in the event of a disaster, according to the Ministry of Information.
In its announcement, the ministry said Union Election Commission (UEC) chairperson Tin Aye met UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, in Nay Pyi Taw on Thursday.
Yanghee Lee asked about errors in the voter lists and the difficulties faced when correcting them in flood-affected areas and the possibility of postponing the election in those areas until a process to vote in refugee camps could be established.
Chairperson Tin Aye said the commission was prioritising the correction of the voter lists. He said under election law, an eligible voter was allowed to cast a ballot with the approval of the polling station officer if the voter list was proved incorrect.
The UEC would give voters a certificate, even if they had lost their national identity cards.
He continued that the Constitution stated that an election could be postponed if an area was unstable and a free and fair election could not be guaranteed. But it would not be postponed in the entire constituency, he added, but instead just at specific polling stations if it was necessary.
Those who cannot cast a ballot on the day could vote early using form 15, he added.
Tin Aye said that refugee camps had the lists of original addresses of the voters and they could vote in their original constituencies or they could register to vote in the camp if they have stayed for more than 180 days there.
Yanghee Lee also asked if election observers would be allowed to view polling stations inside military compounds and about the voting rights of green-card holders. These cards were issued after the white cards for so-called immigrants were withdrawn.
The UEC had negotiated with the military to allow watch groups and observers inside its compounds, he replied. If the military cannot allow entry, the UEC has suggested building polling stations outside the camps. Green-card holders had no right to vote, Tin Aye added.
According to the Global New Light of Myanmar, the Rakhine floods have killed at least 55 people, more than 4,650 cattle, displaced more than 85,400 people and destroyed 11,000 homes and more than 217,600 acres of farmland.
