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Voters went to the polls on Sunday in the first phase of Myanmar’s first general election in five years, which is being held under the supervision of the military junta at a time when civil war is raging across much of the country.
Critics accuse the election of being aimed at lending legitimacy to military rule, which began after the military overthrew the elected government. Aung San Suu Kyi February 2021. Her party won a landslide victory in the 2020 election but was unable to win re-election.
exist YangonVoters in the country’s largest city, the capital Naypyitaw, and elsewhere were casting their ballots in high schools, government buildings and religious buildings.
Critics argued that the results lacked legitimacy due to the exclusion of major political parties, restrictions on free speech and an atmosphere of repression.
They argue that the expected victory of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party makes a nominal transition to civilian rule an illusion.
However, holding elections could provide an excuse for neighboring countries such as China and India. Thailand Continue to support them, claiming that elections promote stability. Western countries have imposed sanctions on Myanmar’s ruling generals over their anti-democratic behavior and brutal war against rivals.
Safety The situation in Yangon, the country’s largest city, was visibly tense on Saturday, with armed guards stationed outside polling stations and military trucks patrolling the roads. Election officials set up equipment and installed electronic voting machines, the first to be used in Myanmar.
Although opposition groups and armed resistance groups vowed to disrupt the electoral process, no major action was taken.
Former Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, 80, did not attend the meeting as she is serving a 27-year prison sentence on charges widely seen as politically motivated. Her party, the National League for Democracy, was dissolved in 2023 after refusing to register under new military rules.
Other parties have also refused to register or run under conditions they consider unfair, and opposition groups have called on voters to boycott.
Amael Vier, an analyst with the Asia Free Elections Network, noted the lack of real choice, noting that 73% of voters in 2020 cast their votes for parties that no longer exist.
Mobilizing the opposition is difficult amid military repression. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, more than 22,000 people are currently detained for political crimes and more than 7,600 civilians have been killed by security forces since seizing power in 2021.
Armed resistance emerged after the army used lethal force to suppress non-violent protests against the 2021 takeover. The ensuing civil war has displaced more than 3.6 million people, according to the United Nations
The new election protection law adds tough penalties and restrictions, effectively banning all public criticism of polls.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said Myanmar was witnessing increasing violence and intimidation, noting that conditions for exercising freedom of expression or peaceful assembly did not exist.
In this case, both the military and the opposition believe that power is likely to remain in the hands of General Min Aung Hlaing, who led the 2021 power seizure.
Voting takes place in three phases, with the first round taking place in 102 of Myanmar’s 330 townships on Sunday. The second phase will be carried out on January 11, and the third phase will be carried out on January 25. Final results are expected to be announced in late January.
While more than 4,800 candidates from 57 political parties are vying for seats in national and regional legislative bodies, only six candidates are competing nationally with the potential to gain political influence in parliament.
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Associated Press writer Peck reported from Bangkok.