The Union Election Commission held a coordination meeting for the successful holding of 2020 General Election at the UEC meeting hall yesterday morning in Nay Pyi Taw, focussing on the matters pertaining to the Hluttaw candidate, the voters’ lists, and the allocation of polling stations.

UEC Chair U Hla Thein met members of the commission, officials with the commission office, chairpersons and secretaries of election sub-commissions with States and Regions as well as Union Territory election sub-commission at the event.

UEC Chair said: “The countdown to 2020 General Election is 78 days. The first measure we have done is voters’ lists and its initial announcement on 14 August. We are now working on the voters’ proposals of correction, addition, and deletion of the list. We need to ensure the comprehensive list of eligible voters in the second announcement systematically through Form 3 applications, Form 4, and Form 4 (c). We need to implement the correction, addition, and deletion process in collaboration with the General Administration Departments and Township Immigration Departments.

With more systematic, successive scrutinization and supervision at different levels, we need to prepare for the second announcement of voters’ lists without errors.”

The second measure we will do is to announce the name lists of Hluttaw candidates after the name lists are submitted and scrutinized by relevant district election sub-commissions, he added.

Campaigns must be permitted following the announcement of Hluttaw candidates, and election sub-commissions must abide by election laws, by-laws, orders, and directives, he stated.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent Form 15 applications for Myanmar citizens in foreign countries to cast advance votes, and the UEC already scrutinized and sent them to the townships concerned, he confirmed.

He urged the townships concerned to examine if they are included in the voters’ lists or not. They are eligible or not to vote, and to systematically record the reasons that are ineligible to vote, he further said and adding advance voting ballots must be sent to relevant Myanmar embassies, permanent mission offices, and consulates within the designated period.

As the General Election is approaching, there are continuous electoral tasks — printing of polling ballot papers, setting up of polling stations, procuring of sufficient polling materials for polling stations and timely transport of the documents to the polling stations, appointment of heads, deputy heads and members of polling stations, pieces of training for the heads, deputy heads and members, and completion of local and foreign advance voting processes in time.

The UEC, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Sports, has erected model polling stations in line with COVID-19 guidelines in its preparatory work for 2020 General Election. The commission will issue instructions for relevant sub-commissions, and the sub-commissions need to make plans to implement the tasks in line with the guidelines, he highlighted.

He further remarked that plans to distribute masks and hand gel are underway; polling stations need to be wide enough to manage the voters to queue per social or physical distancing.

If the number of the voters at a polling station exceeds 1,000, the station must manage the voters to vote in separate batches depending on the amount, two shifts for 1,000 and three for 2,000, he said.

International and local organizations and individuals to observe the elections were permitted, and the UEC will also issue electoral observer cards, said the UEC Chair confirming that the commission will announce the permission and application of media for the General Election in September, he added.

The UEC Chair urged the sub-commissions to well manage on successfully holding of 2020 General Election following five electoral norms and report on the requirements in the real-time basis.

Officials of election sub-commissions from regions, states and Union Territory reported on the works for submitting and scrutinizing Hluttaw candidates, making voters’ lists and designating polling stations.

UEC Chair, members and the commission office’s officials gave necessary advice on a round of discussions.

The meeting was concluded following the UEC Chair’s remarks.

MNA 

(Translated by Kyaw Zin Tun)

Photo: MNA

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