NAYPYIDAW: Myanmar’s junta said slightly more than half of eligible voters cast their ballot in the first phase of a three-stage national election at the weekend, a figure that was markedly lower than the previous two elections.
The election is the first since a 2021 coup and is taking place during a civil war. Analysts expect the military-aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party, led by retired generals, to be returned to power.
The UN, some Western countries and human rights groups have said the vote is not free, fair or credible, given that anti-junta political parties are out of the running and it is illegal to criticise the polls.