Voting in Myanmar's month-long election has concluded, with the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) expected to secure a landslide victory. The poll, widely condemned as a sham designed to entrench army rule, took place nearly five years after the military ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup.
Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing defended the election, claiming it enjoyed public support and represented a return to democracy. However, the United Nations, the UK, Australia, and the European Union have rejected its legitimacy, citing repression and a lack of free choice. China, a key ally, endorsed the vote as a path to stability.
In Mandalay, voters expressed fear and reluctance to speak openly. One voter said they missed the former government but feared for their security. The military has arrested tens of thousands of political prisoners since the coup, and a new law criminalises election criticism with penalties of up to three years in prison or death.
UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews condemned the election as orchestrated to deliver a USDP landslide through bans on credible opposition, imprisonment of popular figures, and suppression of freedoms. Fighting continued throughout the voting period; an airstrike in Kachin state killed 21 people days before the poll. Turnout was low at 55%, and analysts estimate about a third of the country was excluded due to ongoing conflict or control by anti-junta groups.
