Election day in Mandalay: Reticence, then euphoria

It was long before dawn on Sunday when Mandalay’s residents emerged sleepily from their homes and began queuing to cast their votes.

The mood was quiet, but excited, as people eagerly clutched the slip of white paper issued to eligible voters.

I quietly approached one woman – it was prohibited for journalists without accreditation to cover the election to interview people within 500 metres of polling stations – and asked which party would receive her vote.

“I cannot say,” she said with a beaming smile, putting a finger to her lips. “But I think you know,” she added, bursting into laughter with her friends.

I saw the woman about an hour later as she was leaving the polling station. “Aung San Suu Kyi!” she said loudly, raising a thumb in the air.

In a heavily Muslim area of Mandalay the mood was more subdued than in other parts of the city, but residents were hopeful that the election would bring positive change to their lives.

In the afternoon, it became increasingly obvious that the National League for Democracy was heading for a resounding victory in the city and throughout Mandalay Region.

It was difficult not to get caught up in the euphoria of the party’s supporters. Hundreds of them gathered around a screen showing election results outside the NLD office in downtown Mandalay. They danced to the NLD’s catchy songs and roared joyful cheers each time the screen showed another win to the NLD, according to the party’s calculations. In some constituencies the NLD was outpolling the USDP by up to 10 votes to 1.

NLD officials were confident of victory but urged supporters to temper their optimism. They said one of the main concerns for the coming weeks was whether the election results would be manipulated behind the scenes.

Out on the street, the party continued as more NLD victories appeared on the screen.

“We are fed up of this government, it is time for real change,” said a young woman. “I just hope they don’t cheat.”

Only time will tell.