“I had already finished my campaign using the eagle logo, but now right before the election my logo has been changed to my photo. My supporters only know me by the eagle logo. Now, my photo has been used instead of the eagle logo so there may be misunderstandings. There are still illiterate people in the villages,” said U Saw Tun Sein.

When he first registered as a candidate District Commission’s chairman, U Saw Tun Sein submitted his photo as his logo. But later the district secretary informed him that Nay Pyi Taw did not accept his photo as the logo, so he then U Saw Tun Sein requested to have it changed to an eagle logo.

When the District Commission released the list of candidates running in Pauktaw Township on September 4, his name was released together with the eagle logo. He has been using the eagle logo throughout the campaign.

U Saw Tun Sein said the commission did not officially inform about the change of his logo, and he only learned about it from the people who went for advanced voting on October 29.

“After finding out that my photo has been used as my logo on October 29, I went to the Township Commission office to check the ballots. That’s when I found out that my logo has been changed from an eagle to my photo. I have informed the District Commission office,” he said.

Ballots for the election have been sent to Pauktaw since October 4.

“It is true that when U Saw Tun Sein first submitted his photo [as his logo] the Election Commission told us that the regulations don’t allow the use of photos as logos. So we informed U Saw Tun Sein, and re-submitted the paperwork using the eagle logo. But when the Election Commission released the official ballots, the logo was his photo not the eagle logo,” said U Zaw Linn Htet, secretary of Sittwe District Election Commission.