 Diệm 's regime had announced that 5 @,@ 335 @,@ 668 people were eligible to vote , but when the results were declared , there were 5 @,@ 784 @,@ 752 ballots . Diệm 's government claimed his candidacy had been endorsed by the mother of Bảo Đại , although Diệm had ordered the military to confiscate her family 's property and evict her from the land . The near unanimous voter turnout and support for Diệm was replicated in highland and Mekong Delta swamp areas , which were not even under the control of the government and its Vietnamese National Army . In some districts of the Mekong Delta , overwhelming tallies for Diệm in excess of 90 % of the registered voters were recorded , even though the Hòa Hảo warlord Ba Cụt and his army had prevented voting . 
