Mizzima: As the results came in Monday for the weekend’s Yangon City Development Committee elections, several candidates and city residents protested outside Yangon City Hall over the conduct of the controversial poll.
Daw Naw Hla Hal Soe, who stood for Northern District, U Win Cho, who stood for Southern District, and some Yangon residents who were not allowed to cast votes took part in the protest on December 29, questioning the fairness of the elections.
Media reported the electoral turnout was poor and public awareness low.
U Aung Kyaw Oo, a candidate who stood for Mingalardon Township, said: “We protested not because we lost in the elections. We protested because the election was unfair. Even if I won in the election, I had decided to resign my seat.”
Candidate Ma Elizabeth criticized the YCDC electoral commission for taking no punitive action against MPs who violated electoral rules.
“It is totally unfair. Although the rule says that candidates must not woo the voters within 50 yards of a polling station, some candidates stood at the entrance to polling stations persuading voters [to vote for them],” she said.
A teacher living in Dala Township who was not eligible to vote criticized the authorities who compiled the list of eligible voters, saying the choice was biased.
According to the election rules, only one member of a family of Yangon residents was allowed to vote, rather than all adult residents.
“When I questioned the Quarter chief, he said he didn’t know [about how the list was compiled]. They know where they can buy illegal lottery tickets in the Quarter and where illegal card games are held, but they don’t know the affairs related to making the list of eligible voters,” the teacher said sarcastically.
The election results were announced on Monday afternoon.
Before the results were announced, the YCDC electoral commission said that any person who wanted to officially raise an objection against the election results must pay K500,000 [US$500] in accordance with the sections 55, 56, and 57 of the municipal election law.
U Aung Kyaw Oo, a candidate who stood for Mingalardon Township, said that before the election results were revealed, they announced the costly conditions of the complaint process.
“Before they announced the results, the people and the candidates already knew about the fraud. So they knew that complaints would be made, and that’s why they announced the [conditions of the] law in advance. It is like threatening us in advance,” he said.
http://mizzima.com/mizzima-news/myanmar/item/16387-yangon-candidates-residents-protest-flawed-ycdc-election