More than 20 election signboards of the Arakan National Party (ANP) and the National League for Democracy (NLD) were destroyed in Arakan State during 40 days of the election campaign period.

NLD reported 15 signboards were defaced in Taunggup, Myaebon, Manaung, Sittwe and Buthedaung Townships and eight cases of damage done to ANP signboards in Taunggup, Ann, Yanbyae and Sittwe Townships.

The UEC allowed the parties to do canvassing for 60 days from September 8 until November 6. Candidates from the USDP, the ANP, the AFP, the ALD and the NLD will compete in Arakan State. There are around 1.6 million voters in Arakan State.

But far more important is that many candidates have canvassed in vain According to the recent press conference by the Arakan election monitoring group, around 1.3 million out of over 1.6 million eligible voters have lost their voting rights in Arakan State as the election is skipped in nine townships and 15 wards and 137 village-tracts in four townships in Arakan State.

U Kyaw Win Chay, an information officer of the ANP said: “The party has no plan to take action against the individual. But the party will lodge a complaint if a party or an organization does it intentionally.”Currently, the ANP plans to file a case against the destruction of signboards in Taunggup Township, he added.

U Tun Aung Kyaw, a candidate from the ANP in Sittwe Township said: “The destruction of election signboards is unacceptable. The people with a high level of political culture will not do that. Here is no need to destroy the signboards if our political culture is flourishing. Every citizen has the right to choose their candidate.