Overview
- Junta authorities confirmed a third voting phase on Jan. 25 covering 63 townships, following ballots set for Dec. 28 in 102 townships and Jan. 11 in 100, with large swathes excluded by conflict.
- Participation is tightly limited, with about 202 of 330 townships voting in the first two phases, electronic-only voting promised, and 25% of parliamentary seats reserved for serving military appointees under the 2008 constitution.
- Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy and dozens of other parties were dissolved, leaving 57 parties on the ballot but only six contesting nationwide, led by the military-aligned USDP with the largest slate of candidates.
- Rights monitors and the UN report arrests under a new election protection law, harsh sentences for alleged ‘disruption’, and reports of displaced people being pressured to return to vote, while some armed opponents have threatened election workers.
- The military rejects allegations of coercion and says the polls are for Myanmar’s people, as Western governments and the UN dismiss the process as lacking credibility and key partners such as China, Russia and India engage with the junta’s plan.