War with opposition groups means large areas are excluded from poll, while recent law prohibits criticising a process regarded internationally as a sham
Polling stations have opened in some areas of conflict-racked Myanmar for an election that has been widely condemned as a sham designed to legitimise the military junta’s rule.
The most popular party is banned from running in the election, and large areas of the country will be completely excluded because they are under the control of anti-junta groups or racked by fierce fighting.
In locations where the election is taking place, campaigning has been muted – lacking the vibrant, packed rallies that marked past votes. The red flags and signs associated with the country’s most popular politician, Aung San Suu Kyi, and her party, the National League for Democracy, which covered the streets in previous elections, are also absent. The former de facto leader, who is 80, has been detained since she was ousted in the coup, and her party has been banned.
The election has been condemned by the UN and western governments, but has support from China, which is the military’s most important ally. China, Russia, India and Vietnam have sent election observers, according to military-controlled media.
