Myanmar's Union Election Commission (UEC) has announced that the eligible voters aged 60 years and above can cast advance votes at the respective ward or village-tract election sub-commissions for the upcoming general elections.
According to the announcement on late Saturday, the UEC will work with the ward or village-tract election sub-commissions for the advance voting of elderly persons residing in the townships under the stay-at-home order and in the townships with dense population at their homes.
Except for the townships mentioned above, the eligible voters aged 60 years and above in other townships can cast their advance votes at ward or village-tract election sub-commissions, the announcement said.
The ward or village-tract election sub-commissions will also arrange the advance voting for elderly persons in other townships if they are not possible to come to the polling stations in person due to their health conditions, the announcement added.
"Due to the current outbreak of COVID-19, elderly persons should not go to the polling stations and cast their ballots at public places since they are more vulnerable to infection. So the UEC allowed them to cast advance votes from Oct. 29 to Nov. 5," said Tin Maung Aye, secretary of Yangon region election sub-commission.
There are over 800,000 eligible voters aged 60 years and above in Yangon region, he added.
It was learnt that Myanmar's general elections 2020 will be held on Nov. 8 this year and the five-year term of the ruling National League for Democracy government will end in March 2021.