Polls close in first phase of Myanmar elections widely condemned as a sham | Myanmar

Polls have closed in conflict-plagued Myanmar, ending the first phase of an election widely condemned as a fraud meant to legitimize the rule of a military junta.

The military touted the vote as a return to democracy almost five years after seizing power in a coup, ousting the country’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, detaining her and sparking a spiraling civil war.

But analysts say most of the candidates are seen as military allies, and the UN said the vote was held in an atmosphere of “violence and repression”, with one official describing it as “theatre of farce”.

The election is being held in three stages, and the second and third stages are planned to be held in January. Large parts of the country are excluded from the vote because they are under the control of anti-junta groups or are in the grip of violent conflict.

The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), a military proxy, fields the largest number of candidates and is expected to emerge as the largest bloc.

Campaigning has been muted in places where elections are held, missing the lively, packed rallies that have marked past votes. There were no red flags or signs associated with Aung San Suu Kyi, currently the country’s most popular politician, and her National League for Democracy party. The 80-year-old has been detained since his dismissal and his party has been banned.

The election was condemned by western governments but received support from China, the military’s most important ally. China, Russia, India and Vietnam sent election observers, according to military-controlled media.

The army rejected criticism of the election, claiming that the elections were held with the support of the public. The junta’s leader told reporters on Sunday that the vote was guaranteed to be a “free and fair” election.

Min Aung Hlaing, who led the coup, said: “This is organized by the military; we cannot allow our name to be tarnished.” “People should vote,” he added. “If they don’t vote, I’d have to say they don’t fully understand what democracy really is.”

Turnout in Yangon appeared lower than in previous elections. At polling stations, most residents were reluctant to be interviewed; some said the election was too sensitive to be discussed publicly.

A 28-year-old man, who did not give his full name, said there were few options on the ballot. “We already know the election, we know what’s going to happen,” he said of the vote, before a relative warned him that police were nearby and urged him to stop talking.

Others simply shrugged or smiled when asked how they felt about the vote. A 22-year-old person, who wished to remain anonymous, said that young men are worried about being drafted into the military and that they are worried about not being caught on the radar of the authorities during the election period.

“Living in Myanmar is a constant worry. Whether we vote or not, there is worry. There is worry about work, private life, everything is very restricted, there is no freedom… There are problems with everything in daily life.”

Min Aung Hlaing told reporters that the preliminary results of the first phase of the election will be announced after the polls close at 16:00 local time on Sunday.

A total of 57 parties are running, but only six are running nationwide. “On paper, voters see a long list of party logos; in reality, meaningful dissent has been banned, jailed or pushed underground,” the Asian Free Election Network, an NGO, said in its analysis of the vote.

Tens of thousands of people have been arrested in Myanmar for expressing their political views since the coup, and in July the military introduced a new election protection law banning disruption or criticism of voting. People were arrested for posting anti-election stickers or sending private Facebook messages criticizing the election. Those tried under the law face at least three years in prison or even the death penalty.

In September, a man in Shan state was sentenced to seven years of hard labor under the law for criticizing the election in a Facebook post.

“I fear that the nation will sink further into darkness,” said a Yangon resident who remained anonymous before the election. He and his family did not vote because they did not want to give credibility to the election. He added that others might do this too, but only out of fear. “Some people are so afraid that if they don’t come, the army will come to their home and arrest them.”

UN human rights chief Volker Turk said the elections “clearly took place in an environment of violence and repression”.

The U.N. human rights office said it had received reports from displaced people in many parts of the country, including the Mandalay region, that they were warned that they would be attacked or their homes seized if they did not return to vote.

The military presented the vote as a return to normality and lifted a long-standing curfew in Yangon on Saturday. However, intense clashes continue in large parts of the country. According to the independent broadcaster Myanmar Now, air and artillery attacks by junta forces in the Sagaing region continued despite the opening of voting centers, and attacks were also carried out by anti-junta groups.

Myanmar has been gripped by conflict since a coup that abruptly ended the country’s 10-year democratic transition.

The coup initially sparked massive mass protests, and the military responded with lethal force. In response, people took up arms and joined “people’s defense forces” to fight the junta, at times in coordination with ethnic armed groups that have long fought for greater autonomy.

The conflict has plunged the country into economic turmoil, where half the population now lives below the poverty line, and led to “one of the world’s most dire but still underfunded” humanitarian crises. According to the UN.

Tom Andrews, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, described Sunday’s vote as “theatre of the absurd”. He warned that this could further entrench junta rule and constitute a “significant step back for the people of Myanmar.”

Campaigners have called on governments to reject the vote. Justice for Myanmar spokesman Yadanar Maung said the election was an attempt by the military to “manufacture legitimacy while slaughtering civilians with impunity.”

The army has launched relentless airstrikes as it seeks to regain territory lost to opposition groups since the coup and has been repeatedly accused of indiscriminately attacking civilians. He has previously denied any atrocities and stated that any military operations were carried out against terrorists.

The second round of voting will be held on January 11, and the last round will be held on January 25.