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MYANMAR-PARLIAMENT-BY ELECTION
Myanmar’s parliamentary by-elections kick off
YANGON, Nov. 3, 2018 (BSS/XINHUA) – A multi-party parliamentary by-election
began in Myanmar Saturday morning with over 900,000 eligible voters expected
to cast their ballots for open seats.
A total of 69 candidates, including 62 from 24 political parties and seven
individual candidates, are competing for 13 parliamentary seats in nine
regions and states, where 1,383 polling stations are set up.
Of the 13 open parliamentary seats, four are available with the House of
Representative (Lower House), one with the House of Nationalities (Upper
House) and eight with the state or region parliaments.
Of the 62 political party candidates, 13 were nominated by the ruling
National League for Democracy (NLD) to compete in all seats, while 10 by the
former ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and the rest were
sent by other parties.
In Yangon region, a total of 100,553 eligible voters are expected to vote
in two township constituencies, namely Tanmwe and Seikkan, open for each seat
of the House of Representatives and region parliament respectively.
With 123 polling stations set up in Yangon’s Tanmwe township constituency,
NLD candidate U Toe Win competes against USDP’s U Myo Win Kyaw, while with
two polling stations erected in Seikkan township constituency, NLD’s U Than
Htaik Aung runs against USDP’s U Nay Myo Aung.
Three other open seats for the House of Representatives are each available
in Chin state’s Kanpetlet, Shan state’s Laikha, Mandalay region’s Mingyan
township constituencies, while the single seat for the House of Nationalities
is vacant in Kachin state’s Myitgyina township constituency.
Open seats for state or region parliaments are scattered in six other
regions and states’ township constituencies, including Rakhine state’s
Yathedaung in addition to Yangon’s Seikkan as well as ethnic Shan
constituency for Mandalay region.
BSS/XINHUA/GMR/1030 hrs