Accept poll result, parties told

“Please show me the evidence how the Union Election Commission [UEC] and myself showed bias to any parties or favoured the ruling USDP [Union Solidarity and Development Party],” the commission’s chairman, U Tin Aye, said in an interview with The Nation yesterday.

“People just look at my personal background and jump to conclusions that I have bias but please look at what I have done and my performance as the chairman of the UEC,” he said.

Tin Aye is a retired lieutenant-general and a co-founder of the ruling USDP. International observers and political parties have accused him of favouring the ruling party.

Opposition political parties have always complained that President Thein Sein was exploiting his position to favour the ruling USDP. Tin Aye disagrees. 

“When the president visited or inspected development in remote areas, he did so for the country and for the people, not for the party,” he said.

Myanmar today holds a historic general election, the first in 25 years to see the two major rivals – the military-backed USDP and the popular opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) – face off.

Tin Aye urged all politicians and their parties to accept the results of today’s election no matter who wins.

“It is the people’s choice, all have to accept it. The UEC has already announced along with President Thein Sein and Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing that whoever wins they would respect the result and accept it,” he said.

The UEC has prepared nearly 50,000 polling stations countrywide for today’s casting of ballots, except some areas in seven townships due to security reasons.

Armed conflicts continue in Shan State’s Mong La, Mong Hsu and Kye Thi and four townships of Wa state, he said. In some areas, such as in the Wa townships, the authorities could not even collect the names of voters or appoint election officers to hold polling, he said.

“Whenever there is peace in those areas, people will have a chance to vote and we will organise a by-election for them,” he said.

The UEC chairman said his organisation had tried its best to run a transparent election although the people have less experience and knowledge of holding free elections. Myanmar has had little experience of organising elections in the more than half a century since it became an independent state. Elections were held in 1952, 1956, 1960, 1990 and 2010. Of those, only the 2010 poll was held under a constitution. 

“Looking back at history, I think we have improved a lot,” he said.

Myanmar has allowed thousands of domestic and international observers to scrutinise today’s poll. As they have agreed on the terms and conditions with the authorities, they are allowed to see the voting freely and report on whatever they see, he said.

Many candidates told The Nation that the election atmosphere this time was relatively free compared to previous elections.

“I would not say whether I’m satisfied with such a reaction, but we would try our best to push efforts for improvement,” Tin Aye said.

However, there were some technical problems during the advance voting both at home and abroad. Tin Aye said that because people who registered for the advance vote failed to provide their exact address for the UEC to send ballot cards to their homes abroad, some cards ended up being wrongly sent to Singapore, rather than Korea, or other places, he explained.

He blamed the voters and political parties for not providing enough cooperation to check the register.

The UEC announced the name list and allowed people to check and correct if saw any mistakes but not many people paid much attention to the process, he said.

At some polling stations in the capital, Nay Pyi Taw, officials on the ground told The Nation that they had stayed open for correction by eligible voters until the last minute.

Officials offered some relaxation to voters by allowing advance ballots to be cast yesterday for those who may not be able to vote today such as sick persons, the elderly, and civil servants who have to work today.

Hundreds of people were seen casting their ballots in Nay Pyi Taw’s Ottarathiri township yesterday for the advance poll.

Stay tuned for Nation TV’s English news roundups of Myanmar’s general election today – 3pm to 3.15pm; 4.45pm to 5pm; and 6.45pm to 7pm on digital Channel 22.