Voters in Myanmar began casting ballots on Sunday in a general election organised by the ruling military government, the first since a 2021 coup plunged the country into civil war, amid widespread doubts over the credibility of the vote.
The military authorities say the election offers a path towards political stability and economic recovery.
Critics, including the United Nations, Western governments and human rights groups, have dismissed the polls as neither free nor fair, pointing to the exclusion of major opposition parties.
Polling stations opened at 6:00 a.m. local time in areas under military control, including parts of Yangon and Mandalay, according to witnesses and local media.
Voting will be conducted in phases across 265 of Myanmar’s 330 townships, although the military does not fully control all of those areas.
Initial reports suggested voter turnout was significantly lower than in previous elections, according to residents and local media.
Military leader Min Aung Hlaing voted in the heavily guarded capital, Naypyitaw. Asked whether he intended to become president, a role analysts say he has long sought, he said the decision rested with parliament.
“When the parliament convenes, there is a process for electing the president,” he told reporters, adding that he did not lead any political party.
The election is taking place as fighting continues between the military and armed resistance groups that emerged after mass protests against the coup were violently suppressed.
Thousands of civilians have been killed and millions displaced since the military seized power.
Myanmar’s former civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, remains in detention. Her National League for Democracy, which won the 2020 election by a landslide, has been dissolved and barred from contesting the vote.
The military-aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party is widely seen as the frontrunner, facing limited competition after many anti-junta parties were excluded or chose to boycott the election.
The UN’s human rights chief, Volker Turk, has warned that the polls are being held in an environment of violence and repression and are unlikely to resolve the conflict.
The military authorities said preliminary results from the first phase of voting would be announced later on Sunday, though no date has been set for the final outcome.
The military government says the vote will lead to political stability and a “better future”, but international recognition of any government formed through the process is expected to be limited.
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