8 October
The Union Election Commission (UEC) initiated a series of coordination meetings between the UEC and sub commissions with a launch ceremony at Grand Amara Hotel, Nay Pyi Taw, yesterday.
A collaboration with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), the meetings will take place from 7 to 10 October.
During that time, participants will discuss implementation of the strategic plan for effectively organizing the 2020 General Elections, reviewing electoral data, cybersecurity, organizing multi sectoral meetings, compiling mechanisms for coordination committees, and establishing a case tracking system.
UEC Chairman U Hla Thein first spoke at the opening ceremony. He said they are implementing action plans in a designated timeline to ensure the strategic plan for the 2020 General Elections is successfully carried out.
He said the monitoring group has to regularly give updates to the commission so it can make informed decisions and the sub commissions need to make systematic reports on the tasks assigned to them.
U Hla Thein said the elections are based on the information of previous organized elections and shares it publicly through its website and other means. He said the gradual integration into an e-Government system will open opportunities for potential cyberattacks and this is why it is paramount to understand cyber policies and guidelines to counteract perceived attacks.
The UEC Chairman said holding regular meetings with all relevant personnel will allow for better understanding of a region’s issues and help allocate electoral assistance. He determines that the formation of the successive election coordination committees helped reduce the number of disputes in the recent by-elections.
U Hla Thein said it is important for all members of the committee to be unbiased and for the process to follow legal procedures. He said using a case tracking system will make recording information easier and be more appealing to the public. He urged everyone to wisely use the technology provided by IFES in implementing the system.
Afterwards, the UEC Chairman took a documentary photo with attendees and commenced the first day of the meetings. The opening ceremony was attended by members and staff of the UEC and its office, officials from the regions/states sub-commissions and IFES.
MNA (Translated by Zaw Htet Oo)
