The Union Election Commission is committed to holding the 2020 general elections in accordance with five standards: freedom of choice, fairness, transparency, accessibility, and compatibility of public desire.
It has been found that the nearer the Election Day is drawing, the higher the occurrences of cases of disinformation and disruptions caused by advance voting.
President U Win Myint met with the UEC on 8th July this year and stressed the importance of holding free and fair General Elections. As the UEC is an independent body, the result of the General Elections must be the one aspired by the people, he said at the meeting.
Disputes over advance voting happened in previous general elections in 2010 and 2015, and now in 2020. There were many complaints caused by human errors in the 2015 General Elections.
There have been some complaints against advance voting these days, and investigations will be made into these cases in accordance with the law.
The investigation will decide who attempted to disturb the general elections. It is not appropriate to judge before the Election Day that the ongoing general elections are not fair.
Winning an election by any means possible shows a lack of integrity and should be a cause for shame. For these kinds of people, the stronger the desire to defeat someone, the more cunning their plans will become.
Holding a free and fair election is a matter of dignity for the country and the people. Political parties are also obliged to take part in the general elections without affecting dignity and morals of others.
There have been some weaknesses in the UEC, which is making efforts to ensure eligible citizens do not lose their right to vote with limited resources.
Disinformation, false and groundless accusations about the UEC can damage trust among the stakeholders, including political parties and voters, and tarnish the dignity of the UEC.
Meanwhile, it is necessary to prevent disinformation, rumours and hate speech directed at the free and fair manner of the general elections.
We would like to urge the people of Myanmar to be on alert to the potential misuse of social media to spread false news and disinformation about the 2020 General Elections.
We would like to send a message to all violators that the authorities will have a no-tolerance stance towards those who threaten the free and fair manner of the general elections by disrupting the electoral opportunities of the people, including threatening, inciting riots based on racism and religion, and harming the peace of the community and the rule of law, as violators will face legal punishments.
GNLM
