Results of the 2010 Elections in Myanmar: An Analysis
Column
(4) Yangon on Election Day
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I happened to be in Yangon on the election day for a business purpose. I had a chance to observe how things were going in Yangon on that day. The weather was clear that Sunday, which seemed to me like a perfect day for a family outing in the town, but the city was much quieter than the ordinary Sunday. I saw smaller crowds and fewer cars, and many of the shopping centers were closed on what would have been a good day for brisk business. I heard that some people found it difficult to come to the city from the suburbs, with smaller number of route buses and mini-trucks – vehicles that carry passengers on a converted platform - in operation. Rumors of a bomb explosion could have been another reason why people chose to stay at home.
(Just before 9 a.m. on November 7, 2010, photographed by the author).
I
learned
that
factories
at
many
of
the
industrial
zones
located
in
the
outskirts
of
Yangon
were
banned
from
operating
on
this
day
off.
An
extra
polling
station
was
set
up
at
one
industrial
park
for
employees
staying
in
dormitories
adjacent
to
the
factories
away
from
home.
The
manager
of
the
industrial
park,
who
is
Japanese,
told
me
he
was
not
going
out
to
watch
the
voting
because
the
presence
of
a
foreigner
on
the
polling
day
would
not
be
good.
The
military
government
shunned
the
entry
of
foreign
journalists
for
the
elections.
The
internet
was
cut
off
starting
a
few
days
earlier
until
late
afternoon
of
the
polling
day.
In
view
of
such
conditions,
he
thought
a
foreigner
loitering
around
the
polling
station
could
bring
trouble.
The
polls
were
open
from
6
a.m.
to
4
p.m.
I
was
planning
to
meet
a
Burmese
friend
of
mine
for
a
breakfast
at
6
a.m.
at
the
hotel
where
I
was
staying.
When
I
met
him,
he
said
he
wanted
to
go
voting
before
breakfast,
so
we
walked
to
a
polling
station
located
at
a
school,
which
was
about
a
ten-minute
walk
from
the
hotel.
Being
a
foreigner,
I
felt
somewhat
nervous,
but
I
waited
outside
the
school
gate
for
about
15
minutes
while
my
friend
voted.
The
polling
station
was
filled
with
quite
a
large
number
of
voters
despite
it
being
so
early
in
the
morning,
at
just
after
six.
Many
have
said
that
citizens
of
Myanmar
had
little
interest
in
the
elections
this
time
around.
People
were
indifferent
toward
the
elections
that
virtually
ensured
the
victory
of
the
USDP,
a
party
that
enjoys
the
full
backing
of
the
military
government,
and
a
ballot
that
lacked
the
NLD,
the
largest
opposition
party,
led
by
Aung
San
Suu
Kyi.
In
fact,
many
of
my
friends
told
me
they
were
not
going
to
vote.
After
having
seen
good
turnout
at
this
polling
station,
however,
I
had
the
feeling
that
the
voting
rate
might
be
higher
than
expected,
although
this
is
based
purely
on
my
observation
of
just
one
polling
station.
A
friend
of
mine
who
went
to
vote
at
2
p.m.,
two
hours
before
the
polls
closed,
told
me
that
some
70-80
percent
of
the
voter
registry
had
already
been
signed
(according
to
the
rules,
voters,
after
arriving
at
the
polling
station,
must
sign
the
voter
registry
to
receive
the
ballot
papers).
After
2
p.m.,
a
vehicle
with
large
speakers
patrolled
the
streets,
blaring
announcements
that
called
on
voters
to
cast
a
vote.
The
voter
turnout
was
one
indicator
used
to
predict
the
success
of
the
elections.
The
military
regime
attempted
to
prove
the
validity
of
the
elections
by
attaining
a
high
turnout
rate.
The
NLD,
on
the
other
hand,
called
for
a
virtual
election
boycott,
saying
voters
had
the
right
to
vote
and
the
right
not
to
vote.
This
gave
rise
to
the
notion
of
equating
a
high
turnout
with
a
military
government
victory,
and
a
low
turnout
with
a
NLD
triumph.
It
was
believed
that
the
level
of
voter
turnout
would
influence
the
political
activities
of
the
NLD
and
Aung
San
Suu
Kyi
after
her
release.
The
voter
turnout
rates
were
77.3
percent
for
the
People’s
Legislature,
76.8
percent
for
the
National
Legislature,
and
76.6
percent
for
the
Region
and
State
Legislatures,
which
were
higher
than
the
voter
turnout
of
the
1990
elections
of
72.6
percent.
The
USDP
won
78.7
percent
of
seats
of
the
Union
Legislature,
which
was
comparable
to
the
NLD’s
landslide
in
the
1990
elections,
winning
80.8
percent
of
all
legislative
seats.
Senior
General
Than
Shwe
and
the
USDP
competed
with
and
defeated
the
NLD
in
the
2010
elections,
rather
the
other
parties
that
actually
participated
at
the
elections.