The Mechanics of Manipulation

By B.D. Prakash DECEMBER, 2010 - VOL.18, NO.12

For Than Shwe, the election went like clockwork. (Illustration: HARN LAY /THE IRRAWADDY)

TEXT SIZE

(Page 2 of 2)

Although the attention of all parties and pro-change campaigners is rightfully on the rigging of pre-votes and the use of unlawful means to collect advance votes even before the polls opened, equal seriousness must be attached to vote swapping or the changing of real results, as it is tantamount to a crime—murdering the aspirations of millions of voters who did show up at the polling stations defying all odds.

The writer is a political analyst who has worked on elections with international election monitoring organizations.

« previous 1 | 2 |