Party backed by generals set for landslide in ‘sham’ Myanmar election
Polls in Myanmar have closed after the third and final phase of voting, widely considered a sham election.
Due to the five-year civil war, many popular parties were banned from standing and voting was not possible in large parts of the country.
The dominant party, backed by the ruling military junta, is expected to win a landslide victory.
The current regime has rejected international criticism of the elections, claiming they were free and fair.
Nearly a fifth of the country’s 330 districts, including the cities of Yangon and Mandalay, voted in the final phase.
Six parties, including the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), fielded candidates nationwide, while 51 other parties and independent candidates decided to contest at the state and regional level.
The previous two rounds were held on December 28 and January 11, giving the USDP a landslide victory.
The party won just 6% of parliamentary seats in the last free election in 2020.
As in previous rounds of this strange month-long election, voting was orderly and peaceful at the polling station in Nyaungshwe, Shan State, as observed by the BBC team.
In a large school shaded by giant rain trees, there were scores of volunteers and officials to guide voters where to go and how to make their choices using new, locally produced electronic voting machines.
You could be forgiven for believing that this is normal democratic practice and not a fraud, as critics say.
But election day was preceded by a period of campaigning marked by fear, intimidation and a widespread perception that little would change after the USDP’s inevitable victory.
Wherever the BBC team traveled in southern Shan State, we were followed and closely watched by dozens of police and military officials, always polite but very persistent.
It was nearly impossible to get people to say anything about voting; They were so nervous about the possible repercussions.
The steps to be taken after the final results are announced are included in the constitution prepared by the army.
Parliament will meet in the next two months to elect a new president, and everyone expects it to be coup leader General Min Aung Hlaing.
It will be the same regime as in civilian clothes.
However, he will later have to give up his command of the armed forces.
His successor will certainly be a loyal man, but his grip on the army ranks will inevitably be less secure, and it is no secret that many other senior officers do not believe he is doing a good job of running the country.
With many more voices emerging in politics, there is the possibility (remote for now) of a wider debate within the government about which direction Myanmar should go, and of the first steps being taken towards ending the civil war.
The military junta seized control of Myanmar in a 2021 coup and overthrew the elected civilian government led by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
He remains in custody and, like many other opposition groups, the National League for Democracy has been formally dissolved.
The army is fighting against both armed resistance groups opposing the coup and ethnic armies with their own militias.
It lost control of much of the country in a series of major setbacks, but regained control of the region this year with the support of China and Russia.
The civil war has killed thousands of people, displaced millions, devastated the economy and left a humanitarian void.
The devastating earthquake in March and international funding cuts further exacerbated the situation.
