Naypyidaw, 28 December (H.S.): Polling stations opened across select regions of Myanmar on Sunday morning for the military junta's first general election since the 2021 coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's democratically elected government, a process derided by the United Nations, human rights organizations, and opposition forces as neither free nor fair.
The initial phase covers approximately one-third of the nation's 330 townships—around 102 areas including Yangon, Mandalay, and the capital Naypyidaw—while voting stands cancelled in 65 townships and rebel-held territories encompassing over half the country, disenfranchising at least 20 percent of the population.
Subsequent rounds are slated for January 11 and January 25, with no dates announced for vote counting or results amid ongoing civil war that has claimed 90,000 lives, displaced 3.5 million, and detained over 22,000 for political offenses.
Junta Chief Votes, Defends 'Free' ProcessSenior General Min Aung Hlaing, the coup leader, cast his ballot shortly after stations opened at 6 a.m. local time (23:30 GMT Saturday) in Naypyidaw, displaying his inked finger to reporters and insisting the polls represent a credible path to reconciliation and prosperity for Myanmar's 55 million people.
State media echoed this narrative, hailing observers from Russia, China, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Cambodia, Vietnam, Nicaragua, and India, while the pro-junta Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) dominates ballots bereft of meaningful opposition, including the dissolved National League for Democracy (NLD).
In Yangon, turnout appeared modest with middle-aged voters predominant and youth scarce; stations featured unprecedented electronic voting machines that prohibit write-ins or spoiled ballots, secured by armed guards amid a trickle of participants.
Voter Swe Maw, 45, brushed off global criticism, deeming it unimportant, while Mandalay resident Moe Moe Myint, 40, decried the farce, lamenting displacement and destruction under junta rule.
Global Rebuke and Civil War Shadows
UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews branded the exercise a theatre of the absurd performed at gunpoint, warning it perpetuates repression rather than resolving crisis, as intensified violence, arrests, and aid blockades prevail.
Analysts like Richard Horsey foresee a predictable USDP triumph, entrenching army control under civilian guise by April 2026, deepening divisions without quelling armed resistance or earning legitimacy. Human Rights Watch urged outright rejection, citing banned parties and 30,000 political prisoners.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
