War-torn Myanmar votes in widely criticized ‘sham’ elections

Myanmar is voting in an election widely seen as a sham, with major political parties dissolved, many of their leaders jailed and nearly half the country expected to vote due to an ongoing civil war.

The military government is hold a staged ballot nearly five years after seizing power in a coup, which sparked widespread opposition and degenerated into civil war.

Observers say the junta, with support from China, is seeking to legitimize and consolidate its power while seeking a way out of the devastating impasse.

More than 200 people have been charged with disrupting or opposing the vote, under a new law that carries heavy penalties, including the death penalty.

Voting began on Sunday and explosions and airstrikes were reported in several parts of the country as voting took place.

Three people were taken to hospital following a rocket attack on an uninhabited house in the Mandalay region in the early hours of Sunday, the region’s chief minister confirmed to the BBC. One of these people is in serious condition.

Furthermore, more than ten houses were damaged in the commune of Myawaddy, near the border with Thailand, following a series of explosions on Saturday evening.

A local resident told the BBC that a child was killed in the attack and three people were rushed to hospital.

Additional reports of casualties were released following other explosions.

Voters told the BBC that the elections seemed more “disciplined and systematic” than previous ones.

“The voting experience has changed a lot,” said Ma Su ZarChi, who lives in the Mandalay region.

“Before I voted, I was afraid. Now that I voted, I feel relieved. I voted as a person who did his best for the country.”

Ei Pyay Phyo Maung, 22, who voted for the first time, told the BBC she voted because she believed voting was “the responsibility of every citizen”.

“My hope is for the lower classes. Right now, prices of goods are skyrocketing, and I want to support someone who can bring them down for those who are struggling the most,” she said.

“I want a president who provides equally for all.”

Myanmar’s junta has rejected criticism of the vote, saying it aims to “bring back [the country] to a multi-party democratic system.

After voting at a heavily fortified polling station in the capital, junta leader Min Aung Hlaing told the BBC the election would be free and fair.

“I am the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, a civil servant. I can’t just say I want to be president,” he said, emphasizing that there were three phases in the election.

Earlier this week, he warned that those who refuse to vote are rejecting “progress toward democracy.”

Director Mike Tee, actor Kyaw Win Htut and comedian Ohn Daing were among those convicted under the Election Disruption Act, enacted in July.

They were each sentenced to seven years in prison for criticizing a film promoting the election, state media reported.

“There are no conditions for the exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, association or peaceful assembly,” said Volker Türk, a senior United Nations human rights official.

Civilians are “constrained from all sides,” Mr. Türk said in a statement on Tuesday, noting that armed rebel groups have made their own threats asking the population to boycott the vote.

The army is fighting on several fronts, against armed resistance groups who oppose the coup, as well as against ethnic armies which have their own militias. He lost control of large parts of the country following a series of major setbacks, but has regained territory this year. following incessant airstrikes made possible thanks to the support of China and Russia.

The civil war has killed thousands, displaced millions, destroyed the economy and left a humanitarian vacuum. A devastating earthquake in March and reductions in international funding have made the situation worse.

All this and the fact that large parts of the country are still under lockdown opposition control represents a huge logistical challenge for holding elections.

Voting is expected to take place in three phases over the next month in 265 of the country’s 330 townships, with the rest deemed too unstable. Results are expected towards the end of January.

There should be no voting in half the country. Even in townships that vote, not all constituencies will go to the polls, making it difficult to predict possible turnout.

Six parties, including the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party, are fielding candidates across the country, while another 51 parties and independent candidates will run only at the national or regional level.

Around 40 parties, including Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League of Democracy, which won landslide victories in 2015 and 2020, have been banned. Suu Kyi and many key party leaders have been jailed on charges widely condemned as politically motivated, while others are in exile.

“By dividing the vote into phases, authorities can adjust their tactics if the results of the first phase do not suit them,” Htin Kyaw Aye, spokesperson for election monitoring group Spring Sprouts, told Myanmar Now news agency.

Ral Uk Thang, a resident of the western state of Chin, said civilians “don’t want elections.”

“The military does not know how to govern our country. They only work for the benefit of their top leaders.

“When Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s party was in power, we experienced a bit of democracy. But now all we do is cry and shed tears,” the octogenarian said. told BBC.

Western governments including the United Kingdom and the European Parliament called the vote a sham, while the Asean regional bloc called for political dialogue ahead of any election.