Sai Htan Sein, of the SNDP, who observed voting processes in Namzang’s Loi Yai and Wan Pong Sub-Townships, told SHAN that many people with national ID cards and family records were told that they could not vote.

He said: “There are over 70,000 people in Namzang Township who are eligible to vote. But many of them, particularly in remote areas, are unable to vote. They are very disappointed.”

He explained that there were many reasons why people might have been left off of the list of eligible voters. These included a lack of proper identification, which is a common problem for those in rural areas. Some people reportedly only have family records, rather than an ID card, which left them ineligible to vote.

Sai Htan Sein described the election process as “complicated,” and alleged that while citizens currently living in villages in Shan State were ineligible to vote, those who live in Thailand were still eligible to vote.

However, last week, SHAN reported on the marginalization of Shan migrant workers in Thailand during the election period. Legally, voters must have resided in their homes for 180 days prior to the election, making it difficult for migrants to vote.

There have also been inconsistencies reported in overall household eligibility, where some family members were told they were eligible to vote, and others were disqualified.

Sai Kyaw Win, a Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) parliamentary candidate in Namzang Township, said that in addition to a high number of disqualified voters, there were voters who had not been deemed eligible even though there were mistakes on the voter list regarding their name or gender.

Sai Htan Sein said: “We are not satisfied, but we can’t do anything.”

By SAI AW / Shan Herald Agency for News (S.H.A.N)
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for