Chin National League for Democracy (CNLD) party told MCIJ on November 12 that they would call on the Union Election Commission (UEC) for the rerunning of polls in Paletwa and Semi constituencies on the ground of electoral malpractices in the recent general elections.

Former Chin State government minister and House of Representatives (lower house) candidate Kyaw Nyein said that National League for Democracy (NLD) party members allegedly cast votes on behalf of actual voters, and that double voting by absentee ballot voters on polling date were found in Semi constituency.

Moreover, the party pointed out that the NLD party allegedly violated the electoral code of conduct by donating meat curry at the camps of internally displaced people in Paletwa and Semi constituencies on November 6 during the election campaign period.

The party claimed that NLD slaughtered eight pigs for war refugees in Semi constituency and four cattle for war refugees in Paletwa as donations in the form of meat curries to these war refugees or internally displaced persons (IDPs) in these constituencies. Paletwa is a conflict zone where Tatmadaw (government troops) and Arakan Army (AA) are fighting and there are over 8,000 IDPs in this township.

Candidate Kyaw Nyein who contested in Paletwa constituency said: “They came to the IDP camps and carried out election campaigning there. So this is not a fair election at all. So we will present this matter to the UEC and will call for the holding of elections again in these constituencies.”

At the time of talking to Mizzima, candidate Kyaw Nyein was in Paletwa town and at that point had yet to send an official complaint letter to the district election commission office.