As the Burmese constitutional vote rumbled on, ink and internet presses lit up with stories lambasting the polling schedule—everywhere but China.

Myanmar held voting Saturday in all but the two hardest-hit regions, where the ballot was delayed until May 24. Official reports claimed a “massive turnout” for the referendum, which decided whether or not to adopt a constitution drafted by the ruling generals.

China commended the junta’s commitment to carrying out the election on schedule, and praised the referendum process for allowing “free and secret casting of votes on the draft constitution and open counting of the votes to ensure the referendum be free and fair.” Liu Zhenmin, China’s deputy representative to the UN, expressed on Saturday his belief that “with the sincere assistance of the international community, the Myanmar government and people will surely overcome the disaster and rebuild their homeland.”

But critics from the Wall Street Journal said Myanmar should have postponed the referendum to focus on averting further tragedy. The New York Times reported that the government evicted homeless refugees from schoolhouses to use the buildings as polling stations. Other reports told of national officials and generals cheerfully casting their ballots on state television while thousands of refugees lined the streets of Yangon, waiting for help. An Al-Jazeera article emphasized the election’s ill timing and the urgency of bringing aid to the refugees before disease sets in.

One precinct official, when asked about the ballot, said he thought most people did not know what they were voting for, and admitted he had never read the constitution in question. The Times of India reported “visible intimidation” of voters, including orders to affix fingerprints to ballot papers. Reuters quoted a former Australian ambassador who said, “People are absolutely preoccupied with survival—food, water, health, their relatives, getting their jobs back, rebuilding their houses. Politics is the last thing on their minds at the moment.”

Sunday, the Burmese junta reported 28,458 confirmed dead, with 33,416 still missing. Most international analysts predict over 2 million people have been affected by the storm, and the UN fears the death toll will top 220,000. Diplomats in Yangon told Al Jazeera that the casualties may already number over 100,000.

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