UN Rights Expert Urges Rejection of Myanmar’s Junta-Run Election After First-Round ‘Sham’

Overview

• The first voting phase on December 28 reportedly saw very low turnout, and official results show the military-aligned USDP winning nearly 90 percent of contested lower-house seats.
• Two additional rounds remain scheduled for January 11 and 25, yet the junta has excluded at least 65 townships and thousands of wards and village tracts from voting.
• The UN rapporteur cites threats and coercion, including conscription warnings to young people and pressure on displaced people, students, civil servants, and prisoners through denial of essential services.
• According to state media, more than 200 people face charges under a new election law criminalizing criticism of the polls, with reported sentences reaching up to 49 years.
• Reports describe an attack on a convoy of junta-appointed election officials in Magwe Region that caused multiple fatalities, prompting a call for all armed actors to avoid targeting civilians.