Myanmar's Military Junta Faces Widespread Criticism as Election Nears Second Phase
In a move widely seen as an attempt to solidify junta rule, Myanmar's military-backed government is moving forward with its election process, despite criticism that the polls are neither free, fair nor credible. On Sunday, voters in war-torn areas took part in the second stage of the election, following a low turnout in the first round, which has been labelled as a 'sham exercise' by many.
The opposition to the military regime has been severely weakened, with dozens of anti-junta parties dissolved and rebel groups refusing to participate. The ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) is leading by a wide margin, winning 90 of the 102 lower house seats contested in the first phase on December 28.
The USDP's landslide victory is hardly surprising, given the significant advantages it has enjoyed throughout the electoral process. Critics argue that laws were passed to stifle opposition and remove serious rivals from the running.
A final round of voting will take place on January 25, with elections scheduled in 265 of Myanmar's 330 townships. Analysts warn that the junta's attempt to establish a stable administration amidst raging conflict is fraught with risk, and any military-controlled government is unlikely to gain international recognition.
At least 16,600 civilians have died in the conflict since the coup, according to Armed Conflict Location + Event Data Project, while the UN estimates that 3.6 million people have been displaced. Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing recently sidestepped a question about his political ambitions and hailed the election as a success during a visit to central Myanmar.
The election has been widely condemned by international observers, including the United Nations, many Western countries, and human rights groups, who view it as a sham exercise.
In a move widely seen as an attempt to solidify junta rule, Myanmar's military-backed government is moving forward with its election process, despite criticism that the polls are neither free, fair nor credible. On Sunday, voters in war-torn areas took part in the second stage of the election, following a low turnout in the first round, which has been labelled as a 'sham exercise' by many.
The opposition to the military regime has been severely weakened, with dozens of anti-junta parties dissolved and rebel groups refusing to participate. The ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) is leading by a wide margin, winning 90 of the 102 lower house seats contested in the first phase on December 28.
The USDP's landslide victory is hardly surprising, given the significant advantages it has enjoyed throughout the electoral process. Critics argue that laws were passed to stifle opposition and remove serious rivals from the running.
A final round of voting will take place on January 25, with elections scheduled in 265 of Myanmar's 330 townships. Analysts warn that the junta's attempt to establish a stable administration amidst raging conflict is fraught with risk, and any military-controlled government is unlikely to gain international recognition.
At least 16,600 civilians have died in the conflict since the coup, according to Armed Conflict Location + Event Data Project, while the UN estimates that 3.6 million people have been displaced. Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing recently sidestepped a question about his political ambitions and hailed the election as a success during a visit to central Myanmar.
The election has been widely condemned by international observers, including the United Nations, many Western countries, and human rights groups, who view it as a sham exercise.
but at the same time, I think it's super suspicious that the USDP is doing so well 
, you know? I mean, they're basically crushing everyone else in the polls, which makes me wonder if there's even a real contest going on 
. And don't even get me started on how weak the opposition is, like, what happened to all those parties that were dissolved? 
That just seems so fishy to me 
.
. It's like, what if they're just going to ignore human rights and keep oppressing people? 
. Ugh, my brain hurts trying to figure out what's real and what's not 
. It's like, how can you claim democracy is happening when all opposition parties have been shut down? 
And let's not forget the lives lost already, over 16k civilians. That's a huge burden for any government to take on, especially when they're trying to establish stability amidst all this chaos. 
myanmar people deserve so much better than this junta government. it's like they're trying to sweep everything under the rug and pretend that none of these atrocities ever happened. newsflash: people don't forget 
they see what's going on in their country and they want change. international pressure is needed, for real 
. And 90 seats for one party is pretty much a landslide win... it doesn't look good 
. The fact that so many people have died in the conflict since the coup is just heartbreaking 
. I don't think any international recognition is possible with this election being seen as a sham exercise 
. It's like, what's the point of even having an election if it's not gonna be fair? 
It feels like they're more interested in maintaining power than actually helping the ppl. The fact that international observers are calling it a sham exercise is pretty telling too... 
I'm not sure how legit this election can be when so many opposition parties have been dissolved and rebel groups aren't participating. 
the country is still dealing with so much violence and displacement ... 16k+ people have died since the coup, that's insane 
and now they're trying to get international recognition? lol what a joke 
? I mean, I get that international recognition is important and all, but at what cost? The whole situation feels so manipulated and staged to me 
.
can't believe the scale of human suffering here... 16k+ civilians lost their lives and 3.6m displaced 
. And on top of that, people are dying and getting displaced... it's heartbreaking 
. I feel so helpless watching from over here in my own country 
. The international community is right to condemn this election, imo 
.