People cast their ballots during advance voting for general elections at a polling station in Yangon, Myanmar, Oct. 29, 2020. The advance voting normally lasts for 10 days and will conclude on Nov. 7, a day before the elections. (Xinhua/U Aung)
YANGON, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar President U Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi cast advance votes on Thursday for the general elections scheduled to be held on Nov. 8.
The president and state counsellor casted their advance votes in Nay Pyi Taw, the capital of Myanmar where the government offices are located.
According to the Union Election Commission (UEC), civil servants who need to perform their duties outside their constituencies, citizens who have to travel on the day of elections, election candidates, senior citizens and those who cannot go to polling stations and detainees are eligible for advance voting.
The advance voting normally lasts for 10 days and will conclude on Nov. 7, a day before the elections.
In the elections, the president and the state counsellor will contest seats in the House of Representatives (Lower House of parliament) for Tamwe township and Kawhmu township of Yangon region, respectively.
U Win Myint won a seat in the Lower House in Ayeyarwady region's Pathein constituency in 2012 by-election and was elected as member of parliament representing Yangon's Tamwe township in the Lower House in 2015 general elections, while Suu Kyi contested a seat in the Lower House in the Kawhmu township in 2012 by-election and 2015 general elections.
According to the commission, a total of 5,831 candidates involving candidates from 91 political parties and independent runners will take part in the elections which will be held across Myanmar on Nov. 8.
A 60-day election campaign has begun in Myanmar in early September and will conclude in the first week of November.
The ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party won an absolute majority of parliamentary seats in the last general elections on Nov. 8, 2015, and has been running the government since 2016. Enditem
