Overview
- The parliamentary vote is scheduled in three rounds on December 28, January 11, and January 25, with results expected toward late January.
- The military-aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party is widely expected to win because voting takes place mostly in areas under junta control.
- Residents describe coercion as local administrators check voter lists door to door, leaving little room to abstain.
- Observers warn machine-processed ballots block spoiled votes and could let the authorities manipulate results.
- China and Russia support the process, with China providing technical assistance, while rights groups dismiss the exercise as a farce.