A man was arrested in possession of a counterfeit Union Election Commission (UEC) ballot seal at a polling station in eastern Shan State’s Mong Yawng Township on election day.
Network Media Group (NMG) reported that the UEC had issued a statement on Friday about fake seals having been spotted throughout Burma, and warning voters to ensure that their ballot was sealed with not only the logo and markings of the UEC, but also the institution’s name.
Chairperson of the Mong Yawng Township Election Commission San Thein said that the man who had been arrested had one such seal missing the name of the UEC. He was apprehended at Polling Station 3—Hawng Kyan High School—on Sunday.
The seal has been confiscated by the authorities.
“Polling station officers are investigating the man. I don’t want to say anything else about it,” San Thein told SHAN.
The man is currently detained at Mong Yawng police station. It is expected that the polling station officers will bring a legal case against him after the election.
Ballots identified with counterfeit seals are rendered as spoiled votes.
NMG’s report indicated that such seals had been found prior to the election in Sagaing Region, Mon State, Yangon and Naypyidaw.
