Overview
- Polls opened Dec. 28 in 102 townships for the first of three voting days, with further rounds on Jan. 11 and Jan. 25 and no announced date for results.
- Fighting and access constraints mean about 265 of 330 townships will vote, with no balloting in rebel-held areas and tightened security reported in major cities.
- Aung San Suu Kyi remains imprisoned and her dissolved National League for Democracy is excluded, leaving a field dominated by military-aligned parties with the USDP widely expected to lead.
- Electronic voting machines are being used nationwide for the first time, disallowing write-in candidates or spoiled ballots and prompting concerns over voter choice and secrecy.
- The United Nations, rights groups and several Western governments reject the polls as neither free nor fair as prosecutions and arrests under new election laws continue.