Myanmar gov't promises to hold free, fair election

YANGON -- The Myanmar government will make all its efforts to ensure that the Nov. 8 general election will be free and fair, Myanmar President U Thein Sein said on Tuesday.

"Currently, Myanmar is at an important juncture where Myanmar people hold in their hand the opportunity to realize the aspirations of the people and their future," U Thein Sein said in a speech on the occasion of the International Day of Democracy, stressing that the election is one of the huge tasks for transitioning Myanmar toward democracy.

The voters, on their part, also have responsibilities and duties to ensure the creation of a new democratic state of the future with their votes, he emphasized.

Calling for casting votes to choose right representatives, U Thein Sein however warned against causing disruption to those harmonious communities and wide diversity of belief while canvassing votes for their candidates.

According to the Union Election Commission, there are 32 million eligible voters in the country.

Of the 1,171 constituencies designated for the vote at four levels of the parliament, 330 constituencies will be contested for the House of Representatives (Lower House), 168 for the House of Nationalities (Upper House), 644 for the region or state parliament and 29 for representatives of ethnic nationalities.

A total of 6,189 candidates, including 5,866 candidates nominated from 92 political parties and 323 independents, have so far registered to run the November election.