YANGON, April 24 (Xinhua) -- The Myanmar Radio and Television under the Information Ministry will launch live broadcast and telecast on the forthcoming constitutional referendum scheduled for May 10, the local "Biweekly Eleven" reported Thursday.

    News coverage by media persons on the upcoming historic event will be permitted to launch in the new capital of Nay Pyi Taw and the former capital of Yangon, the report quoted participants as saying.

    The free news coverage activities, including taking photos, will be granted outside the referendum areas but it is restricted to counting of votes after the booths are closed, the participants said.

    According to the already-enacted 2008 Republic of Union of Myanmar Referendum Law, "the polling booth teams shall inspect the ballot boxes in the presence of not less than 10 persons eligible to vote, open such ballot boxes and count the votes".

    According to one of its article, the constitution draft can be ratified with over 50 percent of the votes-in-favor out of over 50percent of votes cast by eligible voters.

    Meanwhile, over 4 million up-to-age population in Yangon have been declared as being eligible voters for the referendum, according to other local media.

    Yangon has a population of over 6 million out of Myanmar's total which is 56.5 million.

    The Yangon Division Commission for Holding Nationwide Referendum said over 2,500 polling booths are being set up in the division to ensure 100 to 3,000 voters in each polling booth to secretly cast their ballots.

    Voting rolls will be announced at least seven days ahead of the referendum day, the commission noted, warning "a person who is entitled to vote shall have the right to vote only once at the referendum".

    The polling booths are set to open in the morning at 6 a.m. local times and close in late afternoon at 4 p.m. local times.

    The polling is said to be conducted in line with the international systems to ensure that the referendum be free and fair.

    All Myanmar state media, including daily newspapers and radio and television, are campaigning on the upcoming May 10 constitutional referendum, asking the country's people to cast vote-in-favor to ratify the constitution draft written through the national convention.