With advanced voting arranged three days before the elections in Phapun town, the authorities set up just one polling station at the township football ground for the rest, who had not voted earlier.

“Advance votes were collected on November 4, 5 and 6. Therefore, there was only one polling station at the football ground in Phapun town,” a resident told KIC.

There were three ballot boxes for the NUP, the USDP and independent candidates. Most voters ticked the rice stalk logo and voted for the USDP, according to a resident.

“There were three ballot boxes - one for the People’s Parliament; another for the National Parliament and one for independent candidates. The NUP’s logo is the ‘Rice Stalk’, and the USDP’s logo the ‘Lion’. People believe that they can eat the rice stalk, therefore they voted for the NUP,” a voter said.

From November 4 to 6, school teachers had collected advance votes at monasteries as well as from houses in Phapun town.

It’s learnt that the USDP donated a television set to each village, three Pyi (about four kilograms) of rice and three bars of soap to each family in wards in Phapun town.

The USDP candidate U Saw Mya Tun Aung contested in the election for the National Parliament and the NUP candidate U Aung Chit contested for the People’s Parliament. Independent candidates Daw Khin Kyi and U Khin Kyu (retired Lt. Col. Khin Kyu) also contested from Phapun township.

There was no Karen ethnic party contesting in Phapun township.

According to residents, the polling officers did not count the votes at the polling station on election day on November 7.