Delay in results gives junta freedom to 'rig' vote, critics say

Mungpi - Mizzima

New Delhi - Burma on Saturday concluded what its military rulers called "successful referendum polling" with "massive turnout" of voters, but the results remained undisclosed.

While polling commissioners tallied votes in a few ballot stations, most of the votes have been packed into bags and sent to township commissions.

Local residents in Myingyan town of Mandalay division in central Burma said local polling officials counted votes after the polls were closed, but did not announce results.

According to Mizzima's random calls to voters in different parts of the country, many commissioners did not count votes, instead sending the ballots to township election officials.

Burma's referendum law, announced in February, fails to include a specific timeline for announcing the results of the poll. It does, however, provide details on voting procedures for different groups of people, such as the public, the military, civil servants, medical professionals, overseas Burmese and inmates.

The junta's referendum law vaguely states that after adding poll results from various states and divisions, the Referendum Commissioner will announce the overall results of the polling.

"This gives the flexibility to the junta to rig the votes according to the way they want," said Win Min, a Burmese analyst based in Thailand.

Win Min said the election law states that commissioners and station officers will conduct vote counting after the polls are closed in the presence of at least 10 civilian observers.

"They are violating their own rules," Win Min added.

With polling postponed for 47 townships in cyclone-hit regions of Irrawaddy and Rangoon divisions, the counting and declaration of results is likely to be later than May 24, Win Min said.

"But we never know – if the junta thinks they are comfortable with the results so far, they might just announce them anytime, even without waiting for the polling in the cyclone-hit regions," he said.

Criticism swirled against the military junta for going ahead with the referendum on Saturday amidst concern for more than 1.5 million cyclone victims.

Mark Farmaner, director of the Burma Campaign UK, said Burma's generals are focusing only on the referendum and are busy building polling booths instead of building shelters for cyclone victims.

"It's crazy," he said.

Farmaner added that he wouldn't be surprised if the junta announces that the polling results are in favor of the constitution, which took the generals 14 years to draft.

"I will not be surprised at all," he said. "We are expecting a 'yes' vote because the regime is doing everything they can to rig it."