Empty streets and forced ballots: Myanmar junta resorts to coercion as phased election begins amid widespread boycott

Mizzima

Myanmar’s junta-appointed election commission and its administrative bodies are resorting to various forms of pressure to compel people to vote as turnout remains extremely low in the ongoing election, according to local residents.

In townships included in the first phase of the election, such as Taunggyi and Lashio in Shan State, and Mayangone and Thingangyun in Yangon Region, authorities have been using loudspeakers to urge residents to vote, conducting door-to-door visits, and even calling on people whose names are not on voter lists to cast ballots by presenting only their National Registration Cards (NRCs), sources said.

“In Thuwanna Ward 22 in Thingangyun Township, loudspeaker announcements started around 11 am,” said a representative from the Rangoon Scout Network, which monitors ground conditions in Yangon. “They were shouting that voting was open from 6 am to 4 pm. It seems very few people have gone to vote in that area.”

Similar tactics have been reported in Taunggyi, where officials used loudspeakers to urge residents, including those not listed on voter rolls, to come and vote using their NRCs. The announcements reportedly included the phrase, “Vote for your own security,” which locals described as a veiled threat.

“Most people aren’t even on the voter list,” said a male resident from Kayinma Yayhtawt Ward in Taunggyi. “But we heard loudspeaker announcements saying that even those not on the list should come and vote by showing their NRC.”

In Lashio Township, junta-backed administrative groups were also seen pressuring residents in wards and villages with low turnout to go to polling stations.

“In places like Nam Pawng and Nam Mon, which are about 10 to 20 miles from Lashio, Kokang administrative officials themselves were mobilizing residents to travel into the city to vote. The authorities had earlier announced that voting would only take place in Wards 1 to 12, which excluded villages closer to the city. Yet now, people from distant villages, some nearly 20 miles away, are being urged to vote, with Kokang officials coordinating directly with ward and village administrators,” a Lashio local told Mizzima.

Similar reports of pressure to participate in voting have emerged from other regions and states across the country, suggesting a coordinated effort by the junta to inflate turnout figures. Polling began early on 28 December in the urban areas of 102 townships designated for the first phase of the election. While some people were seen casting ballots, Mizzima’s inquiries indicate that the majority of the public is refusing to participate, leaving many polling stations largely deserted.