Election in Myanmar ends as polling booths close
YANGON, November 7, 2010
The multi-party general election in Myanmar, which began at dawn on Sunday, ended peacefully as polling booths closed at 4 p.m. (0930 GMT) as scheduled, and the counting of votes followed immediately in the presence of the public.
Some of the polling booths even closed earlier with counting of votes already started as the designated number of electorates had completely finished casting of votes ahead of closing hours, polling stations said, citing sources with Shan state’s capital of Taunggyi. The ballots include advance ballots cast days ahead for persons with inconvenience as stipulated in the election law.
The counting of votes by the township election sub commissions took place in the presence of parliamentary candidates or their election agents and the public.
According to the election law, the township election sub commissions are to submit the valid votes to the region or state commissions at higher level which is expected to declare the elected parliamentary candidates later. The first-in-two-decade multi-party general election began across Myanmar at 6 a.m. on Sunday (2330 GMT Saturday).
A total of 29 million qualified voters across the country cast ballots at 60,000 polling stations under secret polling system.
Nationally, a total of over 3,000 parliamentary candidates from 37 political parties including 82 independents took part in the competition across the country’s seven regions and seven ethnic states for 1,159 parliamentary seats, of which 326 are reserved for the House of Representatives, 168 for the house of Nationalities and 665 for region or state parliament.
The House of Representatives and the house of nationalities make up the Union Parliament.
In Yangon region’s 45 townships, 15 political parties and 26 independent delegates totalling 459 candidates took part in the contest.
In Nay Pyi Taw’s eight townships, four parties and two independents with a total of 25 candidates contest.
Parties running popular are the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), led by Prime Minister U Thein Sein, National Unity Party (NUP), led by U Tun Yi, and National Democratic Force (NDF), led by U Than Nyein.
The USDP is transformed from the government-backed biggest social organization -- the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), while the NUP is reorganized from the previous government’s disbanded ruling Myanmar Socialist Program Party and the NDF is a break-away party from the disbanded National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
The others mainly go to Democratic Party (Myanmar), National Political Alliance League (NPAL), Rakhine Nationalities Development Party, National Democratic Party for Development, Democracy and Peace Party, and 88 Generation Student Youths (Union of Myanmar)
(the hindu)
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