The election observer organization, People’s Alliance for Credible Election (PACE), executive director Sai Ye Kyaw Swar Myint said that they did not find any big problems which could stop the election process in the 2018 By-elections though there were some weaknesses and drawbacks.
Sai Ye Kyaw Swar Myint was speaking at the “Initial Report of Observing 2018 By-elections” release ceremony held at Sule Shangri La Hotel, Yangon, on 4 November, the day after the poll.
“We could not find any big problems which could jeopardize and end the election process during the whole day of yesterday’s by-elections. We can say roughly the election process ran smoothly though we found some weaknesses and drawbacks in following procedures, management and interiors in some polling booths,” the observer said.
Two domestic election observers, PACE and Phan Tee Eain, sent 579 observers to 12 of the 13 vacant seats’ constituencies of the By-elections held on 3 November 3. The initial report of PACE says, generally speaking, the observers did not find any significant incidents at the By-elections and the entire election process can be said to have been running smoothly.
In terms of gender balance at the polling booths, it can be said there is progress this year in comparison with previous elections but in the polling stations in Yangon, 97% of the polling station chiefs assigned at these polling stations are women.
A total of 69 candidates contested for 13 vacant seats at these By-elections and seven of them were women candidates. Phan Tee Eain Group Director Ma Khin Lay said that according to the initial reports they received, not a single woman candidate won in these by-elections.
