Referendum Commission circular to ensure secret vote

Nay Thwin
Mizzima News
April 9, 2008

Chiang Mai – The Burmese military junta authorities wants the voting during the ensuing referendum in May to be secret. The National constitutional referendum commission has sent a circular to that effect to all its subordinate commissions at different levels.

The circular directs all subordinate commissions at ward and village levels in detail to make sure the vote is secret.

The 27-page circular instructs in detail how to build the polling station, the functions of poll booths officials and heads, detailed procedure before, during and after the voting.

"It's detailed and complete. As far as I have read the circular, if they strictly follow it, the referendum will certainly be free and fair. Only they need to follow it", Ko Kyaw Lin Oo, Thai based monitoring group member, said.

Ko Kyaw Lin Oo is the Director of 'Burma Democratic Concern' Thailand branch, which is advocating the casting of a 'No' vote in the referendum. The organization has branches in Thailand, UK and US, and is advocating not to recognize the constitution drafted by the regime and to monitor the regime's referendum to make sure there is no rigging and the referendum is free and fair.

According to the circular, there must be one polling booth if there are under 3,000 voters and 5 to 10 polling officials including a polling station head who will supervise the referendum.

There will be one ballot box if the voters are under 1,000, two for over 1,000 voters and three ballot boxes for voters under 3,000.

For the security of the polling booths, there will be police personnel or two to three poll booth assistants assigned by the concerned Ward and Village Tract Commission.

These security personnel will be responsible for smooth and systematic voting in the polling booths.

The voters shall tick their choice at the designated place in the polling booth and then cast their vote in the ballot box in person. The voters must use a ball pen placed on the table in the polling booth to tick on the ballot paper.

The voters must write 'X' for 'NO' vote and 'tick' the 'YES' vote on ballot papers.

The poll booth official will check the voter's ID against the voters list and then will issue the ballot paper if satisfied.

The voters must sign against their name in the voters' list 'remark' column when they receive the ballot paper or press the left thumb impression if the voter is illiterate.

The ballot papers will be invalid if there is no signature of the poll booth head, unclear marking on the ballot paper, no marking on the ballot paper, torn ballot paper, forged ballot paper as believed by the poll booth official.

The ward and village tract poll booth head must keep extra ballot papers equivalent to 10 per cent of voters in the poll booth concerned which is to be replaced with the ballot paper issued to the voters if they demand it.

The polling stations will be opened from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the poll date and voters who reach polling stations before 4 p.m. will be allowed to cast their votes even after 4 p.m.

The polling station head must count 'YES' vote, 'NO' vote, invalid vote and extra ballot papers before the public when the polling stations close. Then wrap and pack all these ballot papers properly and send it to the higher commission offices.

Making loud noises which will hamper the voting within 500 yards of the polling stations is strictly prohibited.

The regime has not yet fixed the exact date of referendum though they have announced they would hold the referendum in May this year.