Rangoon goes to the polls
27 12 2014
Election officials have set up 1,086 polling stations across Rangoon’s 33 townships. Polls close at 4 pm, and ballots will be tallied at each individual polling station, with the results then forwarded to City Hall. YCDC Election Commission chairman Tin Aye told The Irrawaddy last week that final results could be expected within 48 hours of the vote cut-off.
While Saturday’s polls mark a measure of democratization for a municipal body that has been appointed since 1949, critics say the election falls short of allowing for a fully representative city government. Only one member of each registered household in Rangoon, a city of some 5 million people, has been allowed to vote, and the post-election Central Committee will remain majority-appointed by Rangoon Division’s unelected chief minister.
While Saturday’s polls mark a measure of democratization for a municipal body that has been appointed since 1949, critics say the election falls short of allowing for a fully representative city government. Only one member of each registered household in Rangoon, a city of some 5 million people, has been allowed to vote, and the post-election Central Committee will remain majority-appointed by Rangoon Division’s unelected chief minister.
Rangoon residents went to the polls on Saturday to elect a portion of their municipal government for the first time in more than 60 years, though initial reports indicated the landmark vote was under attended by an ill-informed electorate.
A total of 293 candidates are vying for 115 seats at the central, district and township levels of the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC), which oversees management of Burma’s biggest city.
Early indications were of an underwhelming voter turnout. Polls opened at 6:00 am and by midday, three polling stations in Insein Township—each of which had registered 500 households as eligible to vote—had seen 148, 36 and 41 voters cast ballots, respectively.
Win Cho, a former political prisoner and rights activist, is running for one of four seats on the YCDC Central Committee, the municipal government’s highest representative body. The nine-member Central Committee is also comprised of five appointed members, including its chairman, Rangoon Mayor Hla Myint.
The 57-year-old Win Cho, who is not eligible to vote due to his criminal record, told The Irrawaddy on Saturday that his wife had run into problems at their local polling station.
“I have found that some officials at the polling station had no idea about the procedures,” he said. “My name appeared on the voting list. That’s not what is supposed to happen. After my complaints, they fixed it and let my wife cast the vote.”Ms Suu Kyi is the daughter of Myanmar’s iconic General Aung San was assassinated in 1947.
Suu Kyi wants reforms in Myanmar to continue and constitutional amend to come for her to stand for presidency.Her call for the constitution to be amended to allow her to stand for the presidency was said in her appearance in BBC today.
A total of 293 candidates are vying for 115 seats at the central, district and township levels of the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC), which oversees management of Burma’s biggest city.
Early indications were of an underwhelming voter turnout. Polls opened at 6:00 am and by midday, three polling stations in Insein Township—each of which had registered 500 households as eligible to vote—had seen 148, 36 and 41 voters cast ballots, respectively.
Win Cho, a former political prisoner and rights activist, is running for one of four seats on the YCDC Central Committee, the municipal government’s highest representative body. The nine-member Central Committee is also comprised of five appointed members, including its chairman, Rangoon Mayor Hla Myint.
The 57-year-old Win Cho, who is not eligible to vote due to his criminal record, told The Irrawaddy on Saturday that his wife had run into problems at their local polling station.
“I have found that some officials at the polling station had no idea about the procedures,” he said. “My name appeared on the voting list. That’s not what is supposed to happen. After my complaints, they fixed it and let my wife cast the vote.”Ms Suu Kyi is the daughter of Myanmar’s iconic General Aung San was assassinated in 1947.
Suu Kyi wants reforms in Myanmar to continue and constitutional amend to come for her to stand for presidency.Her call for the constitution to be amended to allow her to stand for the presidency was said in her appearance in BBC today.
Suu Kyi was born in Myanmar but lived in the UK after studying at Oxford University where she met her husband Michael Aris. Back to Myanmar in 1988 as the country was experiencing a period of political upheaval. She took part and eventually led the revolt against then-dictator, General Ne Win.
The protests were brutally suppressed by the army who seized power in a coup that year, calling elections in May 1990.But the junta refused to hand over control after the NLD won a majority vote despite the fact that Ms Suu Kyi was under house arrest and disqualified from standing.
The protests were brutally suppressed by the army who seized power in a coup that year, calling elections in May 1990.But the junta refused to hand over control after the NLD won a majority vote despite the fact that Ms Suu Kyi was under house arrest and disqualified from standing.
A process of reform has been under way in Myanmar since November 2010, when military rule was replaced by a new military-backed civilian government.
Yangon went to the polls today for the first municipal elections in six decades, with voters hoping for change as the city booms, despite knowing little about the candidates or their policies.
The election will be closely watched as a test of the country’s democratic credentials ahead of a landmark nationwide poll slated for November next year.
For many the ballot for the Yangon City Development Committee is the first chance to vote under the country’s quasi-civilian government, which replaced outright military rule in 2011.
It is also a rare opportunity to have a say over the future of Myanmar’s biggest city, where residents grumble about runaway construction and soaring rents, worsening traffic, poor sanitation and weak pollution control.
“It’s very difficult to have big expectations as this is the first YCDC election for 60 years,” Khin Maung Tun, 50, a resident in Thaketa township told AFP. “But we came here to vote and show our spirit.”
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