War-torn Myanmar votes in widely condemned ‘fake’ election

Myanmar is voting in an election widely dismissed as a sham, with its main political party disbanded, many of its leaders jailed and half the country not expected to vote due to ongoing civil war.

Nearly five years after the military government seized power in a coup, voting is being held in stages. The coup sparked widespread opposition and escalated into civil war.

Observers say the military, with support from China, is trying to legitimize and solidify its power as it seeks a way out of this devastating stalemate.

More than 200 people have been charged with interfering with or opposing voting under a new law that carries harsh penalties, including the death penalty.

Voting began on Sunday and explosions and airstrikes were reported in several parts of the country while voting was underway.

A rocket attack hit an uninhabited house in the Mandalay region in the early hours of Sunday, sending three people to hospital, the region’s premier confirmed to the BBC. One of them is in serious condition.

Separately, a series of explosions occurred late Saturday in Myawaddy township near the Thai border, damaging more than a dozen homes.

A local resident told the BBC that one child was killed in the attack and three people were taken to hospital as an emergency.

Additional reports of casualties emerged following another explosion.

Voters told the BBC that this election felt more “disciplined and organized” than previous elections.

“The voting experience has changed a lot,” said Ma Su ZarChi, a Mandalay region resident.

“I was scared before voting, but after voting, I felt at ease. I voted as someone who did my best for my country.”

First-time voter Ei Pyay Phyo Maung, 22, told the BBC she voted because she believed it was “every citizen’s responsibility”.

“My hope is for the underclass,” she said. “Right now, prices are skyrocketing, and I want to support anyone who can lower prices for those who are struggling the most.”

“I want a president who benefits everyone equally.”

Burma’s military junta has dismissed criticism of the poll, claiming it aims to “return (the country) to a multi-party democratic system.”

After casting his vote at a highly fortified polling station in the capital, military leader Min Aung Hlaing told the BBC the election would be free and fair.

“I am the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces and a public servant. I cannot just say I want to become president,” he said, emphasizing that there are three stages to elections.

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

Film director Mike Tee, actor Kyaw Win Htut and comedian Ohn Daing are among the high-profile people found guilty under the poll sabotage law enacted last 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 exercising the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly,” said Volker Turk, the UN human rights chief.

Turkey’s prime minister said in a statement Tuesday that civilians were being “coerced on all sides” and pointed out that armed rebel groups had made threats calling on people to boycott the polls.

The army is fighting on multiple fronts against armed resistance groups opposing the coup and ethnic minority forces that have their own militias. A series of major setbacks led to it losing control of large parts of the country, but this year it regained territory through relentless airstrikes, aided by support from China and Russia.

The civil war has killed thousands of people, displaced millions, devastated the economy and left a humanitarian vacuum. The situation has worsened following last March’s devastating earthquake and international funding cuts.

All this, and the fact that large parts of the country are still under opposition party control, make holding elections very difficult.

Voting will be held in three phases next month in 265 of the country’s 330 townships, with the remainder deemed too unstable. The results are expected to be released around the end of January.

There will be no voting in about half the country. Even in voting townships, not all precincts participate in voting, making it difficult to predict voter turnout.

Six political parties, including the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party, are fielding candidates nationwide, while 51 other political parties and independent candidates will only compete at the state or local level.

About 40 political parties have been banned, including Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League of Democracy, which won landslide victories in 2015 and 2020. Suu Kyi and many of her party’s key leaders have been jailed amid accusations of political motivation, while others are in exile.

“By dividing the vote into several stages, authorities can adjust their tactics if the results of the first stage do not go as planned,” Htin Kyaw Aye, spokesperson for election monitoring group Spring Sprouts, told Myanmar Now news agency.

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

“The military does not know how to govern the country and only serves the interests of senior leaders.

“When Aung San Suu Kyi’s party was in power, we experienced some democracy. But now all we do is cry and shed tears,” the 80-year-old told the BBC.

Western governments, including Britain and the European Parliament, dismissed the vote as a sham, while regional bloc ASEAN called for political dialogue ahead of the election.