The junta-backed USDP is likely to win the election in Karen State because it has adopted unfair means, according to voters.

“At polling station No. 3, most people voted for the PSDP but their votes are likely to be cancelled. It is because many voters could not read and tick correctly on the ballot paper. Some people don’t know how to hold a pen. Some people did not tick for the PSDP because the party’s logo, the frog- drum, was not clear whereas, the USDP’s lion logo was clear and so people voted for it,” a woman explained.

The Karen party’s logo on the ballot papers was not very clear but the lion logo  of the USDP was on the top of the ballot paper, so many voted for the USDP.

The USDP members were campaigning at the polling station in Kawkareik township. The village headmen and monks also urged people to vote for the USDP, a PSDP party member said.

“Village headmen and monks told the people not to vote for the PSDP in Kawkareik. So people voted for the USDP. One monk told people to vote for the lion logo in the village. There was heavy security in the village. This scared people and they avoided voting for the PSDP,” he said.

The PSDP candidate U Manh Aung Pyi Soe, the KSDDP candidate U Sai Chit Hlaing and candidates of the NUP and the USDP contested the election from Myawaddy constituency.

“Our village headman told us to vote for U Chit Hlaing. Even though he is not a Karen he is in the Karen party. U Chit Hlaing did not bother to say what he would do if he is elected. We voted for him because the village headman told us to,” a voter said.

“I wanted to vote for the PSDP but the name of the PSDP’s candidate was not in the candidate’s list. So I was not sure who to vote for. I finally voted for the party with the Zwekapin logo. I have no expectation from the election and I voted as part of my duty,” a man from Ward No. 3 told KIC.

U Saw Thar Htoo Kyaw, the former chairman of DKBA, contested the election for the KSDDP. He collected advance votes from areas where polls were cancelled through the village headmen five days before the election.

Village headmen distributed ballot papers to the people who had documents, ID cards and official family lists. People who did not have the official family list could not vote.

The KSDDP was formed by the Karen armed group.