More than 50 candidates in Myanmar elections have exact same name

The main numbers surrounding the elections on November 8 are staggering.
 
93 parties!
 
6,189 candidates!
 
And now this:
 
54 candidates have the same exact name, according to the Myanmar Times.
 
That name, “Win Myint,” belongs to both male and female hopefuls.
 
There are also nine people running named “Kyaw Tun” and eight named “Tin Oo.”

For the skeptical, this is no election scam.
 
Myanmar’s naming culture makes it all possible. There are no surnames and plenty of overlap. So when all is said and done it’s not necessarily shocking that there are 54 Win Myints running.

But it does beg the questions: Why that name, and why not more overlap among other names?
 
If you have the answer or even think you have it, tell us on the Facebook thread for this story and we’ll update the post with some of your responses.
 
Photo / Aung Naing Soe / Coconuts Yangon

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