Myanmar voters go to polls in historic elections
People's Daily Online
(Global Times) 07:50, November 09, 2015
Millions voted Sunday in Myanmar's historic elections after a massive turnout that could catapult Aung San Suu Kyi's party into power and end decades of military rule.
After a day marked by euphoric lines of voters - and a rock star welcome for Suu Kyi as she voted - the count began after polling stations shut at 4 pm local time.
Early indications were of an '80 percent' turnout, according to Union Election Commission deputy director Thant Zin Aung - a figure the opposition will hope favors their bid for a majority.
More than 30 million people were eligible to vote in Myanmar's freest election in a generation.
Suu Kyi, wearing a traditional skirt with her trademark string of flowers in her hair, was mobbed by scores of reporters as she voted in Yangon early on Sunday in a reminder of her towering presence over the democracy movement.
Her National League for Democracy (NLD) party believes a fair vote will power it into government after a decades-long struggle against army dictatorship.
But the Nobel Laureate is barred from the presidency and the NLD faces an uphill struggle as a quarter of seats are still reserved for the military.
In the capital Naypyidaw, President Thein Sein, a one-time top-ranking junta general, smiled for the cameras and held up his little finger, stained with purple ink, after voting.
Many voters remain nervous about how the powerful army will react if it loses, with concerns over fraud which riddled previous elections.
But after casting his vote in the capital, Myanmar's powerful army chief said his troops would respect the voice of the electorate.
'Just as the winner accepts the result, so should the loser,' Min Aung Hlaing told reporters.
Strict voting process
In Yangon, people hit the streets and lined up at voting stations as early as 5:30 am, workers at an elementary-school-turned polling station in the Mingalar Taung Nyunt Township in the south of the city told the Global Times.
The polling station is one of more than 46,400 stations set up around the country, according to data from the Union Election Commission. Many of these were turned into stations from schools, churches, or simple construction sites.
Khine Maung Than, who oversees the polling station, told the Global Times that the station was open from 6 am and received more than 2,000 voters in the morning. The station was expected to receive 5,000 voters.
When voters approach the station, security at the gates would check their voter ID and ballots before letting them in. Then they entered the rooms, where they would put stamps on their ballots for their chosen representatives. After submitting the ballot, the voters need to dip one finger in ink to prove they've voted, to avoid repeat voting.
A taxi driver told the Global Times that he is a loyal NLD follower because he likes Aung San Suu Kyi. He thinks she is well-received around the world and can establish good relationships between Myanmar and other countries.
'Free and fair'
As polls closed on Sunday, diplomats and other observers said the vote was largely free and fair, with no reports so far of violence or major fraud.
'From the dozens of people we have spoken to since 6 am today, everybody feels they have been able to vote for whoever they wanted to in security and safety,' said Durudee Sirichanya, an international observer with the ASEAN Secretariat.
Suu Kyi's supporters see an NLD win as a major stride toward the fulfillment of her destiny to lead the country.
Suu Kyi, who was barred from contesting for the presidency, said Thursday that if the NLD wins, she would be 'above the president.'
To win a majority, the NLD needs to secure just over two-thirds of the contested seats.
The USDP needs only around one-third of seats to join up with the military bloc, which is allotted 25 percent of all parliamentary seats.
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