New Delhi – The ruling junta's referendum has been described as 'rigged' by Burma 's main opposition party – the National League for Democracy – on Monday, even as the state radio announced that voters in cyclone hit areas had approved the constitution overwhelmingly.
Burma 's state-radio on Monday said 92.4 percent of voters in the cyclone-hit regions had approved the draft constitution in the second phase of polling on Saturday.
The announcement said the voter turnout for the polling in cyclone-hit 47 townships in Rangoon and Irrawaddy division was 98.1 percent of a total of 27 million eligible voters.
But detained Burmese pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's party, NLD, said the polling was not 'free and fair' and lacked credibility.
"It is a rigged referendum and does not reflect the peoples' desire," Nyan Win, the NLD spokesperson said.
Nyan Win said the junta adopted various means including intimidation, advance voting, and vote rigging to garner supporting votes for its draft constitution that will entrench its rule in the Southeast Asian nation.
"In some villages, there were no polling booths and the authorities cast votes on behalf of the whole village," said Nyan Win, adding that the NLD is now compiling various cases of vote rigging.
While the referendum apolling for the rest of the country was held on May 10, Burma 's military rulers were forced to postpone the referendum date for 47 townships in Rangoon and Irrawaddy division, after the killer Cyclone Nargis lashed the coastal region.
However, polling in the cyclone ravaged regions was held on May 24 at the height of international and domestic criticism saying the region is not in a situation for any kind of political activity where millions of people are struggling to survive.
"We can never accept such a result," Nyan Win said.
He added that it was sheer manipulation by the ruling junta, as it was impossible for 26 million people in the area to turn up on the polling day, given the current humanitarian crisis prevailing in the region.
In a random interview conducted by Mizzima on Saturday, voters said the turn out at their respective localities was extremely low, as the majority of them had been forced to cast votes in advance.
