Myanmar votes in second phase of military-run election
Polling stations opened at 6am local time in 100 townships across the country, including in many areas that have seen clashes in recent months or remain under heightened security.
YANGON: Voters in war-torn Myanmar queued up on Sunday (Jan 11) to cast their ballots in the second stage of a military-run election, following low turnout in the initial round of polls that have been widely criticised as a tool to formalise junta rule.
Polling stations opened at 6am local time in 100 townships across the country, including parts of Sagaing, Magway, Mandalay, Bago and Tanintharyi regions, as well as Mon, Shan, Kachin, Kayah and Kayin states.
Many of those areas have seen clashes in recent months or remain under heightened security, underscoring the risks surrounding the vote.
The election is being held in three phases due to armed conflicts. The first round took place on Dec 28 in 102 of the country’s total 330 townships, followed by the second phase on Sunday. A final round is scheduled for Jan 25, although 65 townships will not take part because of fighting.
Myanmar has been ravaged by conflict since the military ousted a civilian government in a 2021 coup and detained its leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking a civil war that has engulfed large parts of the impoverished nation of 51 million people.
Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party, which swept the last election in 2020, has been dissolved along with dozens of other anti-junta parties for failing to register for the latest polls, while rebel groups have refused to take part.
The United Nations, many Western countries and human rights groups say the election is a sham exercise that is neither free, fair nor credible in the absence of a meaningful opposition.
ARMY ALLIES MARCHING TOWARDS VICTORY
The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) is leading by a huge margin after winning 90 of the 102 lower house seats contested in the first phase on Dec 28, which saw only 52.13 per cent voter turnout, much lower than elections in 2020 and 2015.
"The USDP is on track for a landslide victory, which is hardly a surprise given the extent to which the playing field was tilted in its favour. This included the removal of any serious rivals and a set of laws designed to stifle opposition to the polls," said Richard Horsey, senior Myanmar adviser for Crisis Group.
Tom Andrews, a special rapporteur working with the UN human rights office, urged the international community on Thursday to reject what he called a “sham election", saying the first round exposed coercion, violence and political exclusion.
“You cannot have a free, fair or credible election when thousands of political prisoners are behind bars, credible opposition parties have been dissolved, journalists are muzzled, and fundamental freedoms are crushed,” Andrews said.
More than 22,000 political prisoners are languishing in junta jails, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners advocacy group.
While more than 4,800 candidates from 57 parties are competing for seats in national and regional legislatures, only six parties are competing nationwide with the possibility of gaining political clout in parliament.
Myanmar has a two-house national legislature, totalling 664 seats. The party with a combined parliamentary majority can select the new president, who can name a Cabinet and form a new government. The military automatically receives 25 per cent of seats in each house under the Constitution.
The junta has said the election will bring political stability and a better future for the country, which is facing one of the most serious humanitarian crises in Asia.
At least 16,600 civilians have died in the conflict since the coup, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, and the UN estimates that 3.6 million people have been displaced.
However, analysts warn that the junta's attempt to form a stable administration amid raging conflict is fraught with risk and any military-controlled government is unlikely to gain broad international recognition.
Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing last month sidestepped a question from a reporter about his political ambitions.
He hailed the election as a success during a visit last week to a central Myanmar township, where he urged authorities to work to further boost turnout.
"In phase one of the election, a large number of votes were cast, showing that the people have a strong desire to participate in the democratic process," state media quoted him as saying.
"Therefore, the election can be considered a successful one."
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