Sa Ai Suu —Voting stations won't open in 41 village tracts in Karen State's Kyain Seikgyi Township for the upcoming election due to security reasons, according to the the township election commission's Chairman U Kyi Lwin
"These 41 village tracts include village tracts where village administrators can't be appointed. The village administrators can't be appointed in 22 village tracts. The voter lists can't be posted in the remaining 19 village tracts. The commission doesn't have the right to say why security can't be provided [for these village tracts]," U Kyi Lwin told KIC.
Some of the villages are under the control of the Karen National Union (KNU) and the New Mon State Party (NMSP) and this poses difficulties in posting the voter lists and some villages did not have administrators appointed by the government, according to the Karen State Election Commission officer U Maung Maung Naing.
A total of 63 voting booths will be opened across the township and 37 candidates from 11 political
parties are running in the township in the election. According to a voter list announced on September 14th, there are over 55,000 eligible voters in Kyain Seikgyi Township.
There are nearly 200 villages in these 41 village tracts where voting stations won't be opened.
"I don't think this issue concerns security. We are marching for democracy. The KNU guarantees security for this 2015 Election," Saw Shee Sho, head of the KNU liaison office in Hpa-an told KIC.
Many residents in Kyain Seikgyi Township lost their voting rights during the 2010 General Election as voting booths were not opened in 46 village tracts on ostensibly due to security reasons. Kyain Seikgyi was the only township in Karen State where voting booths were not opened in that election.
"Our area isn't an area without social standing. We have a high school in our village and a village tract hospital. Our villagers have lost the voting rights because of their actions," said Saw Ya Phaunt, a local resident of Kyon Kha Wun village. Just one of the many in Karen state where voting stations won't be operating during the election.
According to Section 10 (f) of the Union Election Commission Law, the Union Election Commission can postpone and cancel the holding of elections in constituencies due to natural calamities or security reasons which may hamper the holding of free and fair elections.
