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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Burma 'approves new constitution' | Burma 'approves new constitution' |
| (about 8 hours later) | |
| A new constitution proposed by Burma's military rulers has been overwhelmingly approved in a referendum, according to the country's state-run media. | A new constitution proposed by Burma's military rulers has been overwhelmingly approved in a referendum, according to the country's state-run media. |
| The junta said 92.4% voted "yes" in the ballot and reported a turnout of 99%. | |
| The vote was held in two-thirds of the country, but was postponed for two weeks in areas hit by Cyclone Nargis. | |
| Human Rights Watch labelled the result an "insult to the people of Burma", while an opposition group said the vote had been "full of cheating and fraud". | |
| The junta pressed ahead with the referendum on 10 May despite the plight of tens of thousands of people left stricken by the devastating cyclone. | |
| The worst-affected areas are still expected to vote on 24 May - but the threshold for approving the constitution has already been passed, rendering their votes meaningless. | |
| Human Rights Watch was highly critical of the ballot. | |
| "There is simply no way that 92%... would have voted 'yes' on a document that they know very little about and that most have never read," said David Mathieson, the body's Thailand-based spokesman. | |
| The constitution enshrines the junta's hold on power and excludes the main opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, from holding office. | |
| Under its terms, 25% of seats in both houses of parliament would be guaranteed for the military - making it impossible to alter the constitution without their backing. | Under its terms, 25% of seats in both houses of parliament would be guaranteed for the military - making it impossible to alter the constitution without their backing. |
| Ms Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy, had campaigned for a "no" vote and denounced the results as a fraud. | |
| "In some villages, authorities and polling station officials ticked the ballots themselves and did not let the voters do anything," said NLD spokesman Nyan Win. | |
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