2008-05-24 17:22:11 - Myanmar referendum on a new constitution across cyclone zone Rangoon and Irrawaddy delta.Myanmar voters in cyclone-hit regions went to the polls for a referendum on a new constitution on Saturday, which the ruling junta says was overwhelmingly approved in a first round of voting.

Myanmar regime opened polls at 6:00 AM across the main city of Yangon and the southern Irrawaddy Delta, where entire villages were washed away by Cyclone Nargis on May 2 2008 three weeks ago.
The military says the constitution will pave the way for democratic elections in 2010.

Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party has deplored the voteand her National League

for Democracy says the constitution will enshrine military rule, and has denounced the regime for focusing on its referendum rather than on delivering aid to cyclone victims.

More than 2.5 million people remain in desperate need of food, shelter and medicine in the wake of the storm.About five million people are eligible to cast ballots on Saturday, but their votes will have no effect on the outcome, after the military announced a 92.4 per cent in the first round held on 10th May in regions spared by the storm.

In Yangon, voters have complained of intimidation, saying that military officers forced them to cast advance ballots, and to tick their papers while officials watched.