Mandalay—A total of 96 polling stations for military members and their families will be moved outside of military battalions in order that observers can freely monitor them in the 2020 General Election, said U Shein Win, Chair of the Mandalay Region Election Sub-commission. 

“Moving these polling places outside of battalions is aimed at enabling foreigners and civil society organizations like INGOs and NGOs and observers, to freely monitor the polling booths and have easy access to them. The UEC designated the year 2019 as the voter list compilation year. Now the UEC has compiled the lists of voters for respective townships. The UEC is paying special attention to the fact that all eligible voters will not lose their voting rights,” said U Hla Thein, Chair of the UEC when meeting with election sub-commission in Mandalay. 

“The lists of eligible voters have not come out yet in Mandalay. But the UEC has sent necessary forms and lists to relevant commanders. In the 2015 General Election, the UEC moved 12 polling places for military members and their families outside of battalions,” U Shein Win added.

According to the list compiled in September, the number of eligible voters in Mandalay Region exceeds 4.5 million. In the 2015 General Election, there were more than 4.4 million voters in Mandalay. The number of eligible voters has increased by over 150,000, U Shein Win said.

In Mandalay, more than 3,200,000 out of over 4,400,000 eligible voters (72.86 per cent) cast their votes in the 2015 General Election. 

There were more than 130,000 eligible voters for three vacant constituencies in the By-election held on November 3, 2018, according to the region election sub-commission.