Myanmar sets late January date for final election round
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Democracy watchdogs say Myanmar's junta-run vote is a charade to rebrand the rule of the military.
PHOTO: AFP
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- Myanmar's junta will hold the 3rd and final round of restricted elections on January 25, following rounds on January 28 and January 11.
- Democracy watchdogs critique the junta-run vote as a charade to legitimise military rule after the 2021 coup, marred by civil war.
- Aung San Suu Kyi remains jailed, her party is dissolved, and the UN condemns the pre-election crackdown; critics face up to 10 years in prison.
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YANGON – Myanmar’s junta will stage the third and final round of its heavily restricted elections on Jan 25, a statement said Dec 25, just days before polls open for the first batch of ballots.
Democracy watchdogs say the junta-run vote is a charade to rebrand the rule of the military, a 2021 coup
Democratic figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi remains jailed since the putsch, her massively popular party dissolved, and the United Nations has slated the junta for a sweeping pre-election dissent crackdown.
The first round of voting is due on Jan 28, with a second bout of ballots due to be cast on Jan 11.
The junta-stacked Union Election Commission said in a statement a third round will take place in 63 of the country’s 330 townships on Jan 25.
Myanmar’s military has ruled the Southeast Asian country for most of its post-independence history, before a 10-year interlude saw a civilian government take the reins in a burst of optimism and reform.
But after former leader Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party trounced pro-military opponents in 2020 elections, military chief Min Aung Hlaing snatched power, alleging widespread voter fraud.
Security forces put down pro-democracy protests, and many activists quit the cities to fight as guerrillas alongside ethnic minority armies that have long held sway in Myanmar’s fringes.
Min Aung Hlaing touts the upcoming polls as a return to democracy and a chance for rebels opposing the military to make peace.
Monitors say the ballot is stacked with a curated list of military allies, while the junta has introduced stark legislation punishing protest or criticism of the vote with up to a decade in prison. AFP
