Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The Union Election Commission announced the final election results yesterday, with the Union Solidarity and Development Party winning more than 76 per cent of seats in all three legislatures, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.   

Meanwhile, the junta yesterday warned that political parties making accusations of electoral fraud in foreign or domestic media were “unlawful” and liable to prison terms and fines, the junta’s mouthpiece, the New Light of Myanmar, reported.

The Chinese agency quoted the junta’s hand-picked UEC yesterday as saying that the USDP had won 76.5 per cent of the total 1,154 seats that make up these three legislatures.  

Neither the junta nor its UEC published the election results, nor made them known even to contesting parties. Regional or township UEC branches were also unaware of the outcome.  

“We have not yet received this information,” an official at Rangoon Division’s east district electoral commission branch told Mizzima.

The Chinese report said the National Unity Party came second with 63 seats, Shan Nationals Democratic Party (SNDP) was third with 57 seats, the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party was next with 35 seats, and the National Democratic Front and All Mon Region Democracy Party, took 16 seats each.  

Authorities failed to provide the SNDP with a list of winning seats or candidates but the reported number of 57 seats was correct, party chairman Sai Aik Pau told Mizzima. The party fielded a total of 156 candidates. “We already knew they (USDP) would win the most seats,” he said.  

Ethnic affairs representatives in all 14 states and divisions take seats and these were included in the main tally.  

In the Shan State assembly, there will be Burmese, Kachin, Lisu, Lahu, Inn Tha, Ahkha, Kayan or Padaung representative seats. In Kachin State, there will be Burmese, Shan, Lisu and Rwan representatives. There will be Burmese, Mon and Pa-O in Karen State assembly, and Karen and Arakanese are to hold seats in Rangoon and Irrawaddy divisions respectively. Shan and Chin representatives will sit in the Sagaing Division assembly and Burmese representatives will be present in the Karenni State house. Chin representatives will be present in the Arakan State and Magway Division assemblies, Karen representatives in Tenasserim Division, and Shan representatives in Mandalay Division.  

Meanwhile, some parties said they the election results were unacceptable because the polls were neither free nor fair. Some parties demanded fresh elections in disputed constituencies.

Western countries such as the United States, Britain, France, Canada, Australia, along with the administrations of the European Union and the United Nations, have joined in saying the junta’s elections held on November 7 were neither free nor fair and had failed to meet even the lowest standards outlined by the international community for convening a national vote.