Burma will hold its first elections in five years this Sunday in the midst of war and despite criticism

MADRID, December 27 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The population of Burma is called on this Sunday to vote for elections called by the military junta which has governed the country since the coup d’état of February 2021 and which will take place in the midst of war and despite numerous criticisms and calls for a boycott.

The country has been plunged into a serious crisis since the military coup, perpetrated by the army precisely to annul the results of the general elections of November 2020, won by the National League for Democracy (NLD).

These elections, the convocation of which was finally announced in July after months of delay, will take place in three phases: the vote this Sunday will be followed by another on January 11, in a process that will end completely with a third date on the 25th of that same month.

Even if the military assures that these elections will facilitate the return to a “multi-party system”, critical voices assure that the army only seeks to “perpetuate itself in power” by looking for a new way to legitimize itself, which is why they insisted on the importance of not going to vote.

The armed forces, which have stressed the need to continue voting despite war and fighting, continue to ensure that the victory of former NLD “de facto leader” Aung San Suu Kyi in the 2020 elections is “illegitimate” given that numerous “irregularities” occurred in the voter registration process.

However, international observers assured that in these elections no major problems were detected during the vote and warned that violence could prevent, on this occasion, the population of the areas hardest hit by the war from going to the polls.

The activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, aged 80 and still imprisoned, will not participate in the elections, nor will her party. Suu Kyi is serving a 27-year prison sentence for charges that her supporters say are part of a political persecution against her. His party was dissolved after refusing to officially register under the junta’s new rules.

Other parties also called for boycotts or refused to participate and accept conditions imposed by the military. Thus, many insist that this process “will neither be free nor fair” and accuse the leader of the junta, Min Aung Hlaing, of looking for ways to continue to control power and keep it in the hands of the military.

For its part, the international community maintains the sanctions imposed on Burma for its continued attacks against the civilian population and the harsh repressive measures imposed against dissidents.

REPRESSION AND VIOLENCE

Since the start of the election campaign, more than a hundred people have been arrested across the country for allegedly sabotaging the elections under the Election Protection Law approved just a few months ago. This legislation, as dissenting voices point out, aims to put an end to critical voices and those who oppose elections that they consider “not very transparent” given that the country is still at war.

Human rights groups have for months condemned these types of actions and have warned that “some people who criticize the elections are silenced by the junta”, notably those who distribute leaflets calling for boycotts and mobilization against the electoral process.

Dissidents continue to denounce the army for the violations and abuses committed, even if the junta emphasizes that the elections will make it possible to choose in a “democratic” way the composition of Parliament and local authorities, even if the opposition has severely criticized this call.

The United Nations has accused the military junta that rules Myanmar of “brutally” using violence to force people to vote in Sunday’s elections, as rebel groups try to prevent participation.

Dozens of people are estimated to have been convicted under the new electoral law for opposing the wartime elections. “Some sentences are extremely harsh, with sentences ranging from 42 to 49 years in prison for hanging posters against the elections,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.

Among those arrested are Burmese personalities such as director Mike Tee and actor Kyaw Win Htut, as well as comedian Ohn Daing. All were sentenced to long prison terms for “undermining the confidence” of the population in the army.

In certain areas, populations displaced by violence and fighting were even threatened with possible attacks if they did not return to their respective localities to vote.

NO POSSIBILITY TO VOTE

The war has prevented 65 cities from holding elections due to clashes between Burmese forces and rebel resistance groups. The council estimates that, in this first phase, residents of 102 of the 330 municipalities over which the army continues to control will vote.

Even though more than fifty parties have presented candidates, the majority compete at the local level, while only six parties compete at the national level and have real possibilities of obtaining sufficient support. The legislation favors the military-linked Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). In total, around 5,000 candidates are vying for seats in the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, Myanmar’s bicameral assembly.

Everything indicates that the path towards recognition of the results of this electoral process will be difficult. With a political scene heavily dominated by military figures since the country’s independence in 1948, Hlaing seeks to legitimize his leadership at the head of Burma.

However, the human cost of the conflict remains extremely high, with more than 22,600 political prisoners behind bars, according to data from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners of Burma (AAPP). Since the coup, 7,600 civilians have been killed by security forces.