Myanmar holds elections under shadow of civil war; discover the details of the process | World

Why is Myanmar holding elections?

The military overthrew the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup in February 2021, as she prepared to begin her second term after a significant victory in elections held months earlier.

The generals have accused Suu Kyi and her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), of electoral fraud, a charge she has denied.

International observers said they found no irregularities. Suu Kyi and much of the NLD were arrested, along with thousands of opponents of the junta.

The junta has promised to hold elections by August 2023 and restore a democratic system, but the timetable has been pushed back as the military has lost control of large swaths of the country in clashes with ethnic minority rebels and anti-junta militias.

The NLD was among dozens of parties dissolved for failure to register.

For most analysts, the election is seen as a strategy by the military – which has ruled Myanmar for much of the past six decades – to consolidate power through political allies, in the absence of a viable opposition, and attempt to gain legitimacy both domestically and internationally.

How will the election take place?

The vote will take place in stages: December 28 in 102 municipalities; January 11 in 100 municipalities; and January 25 in 63 municipalities, or 265 municipalities out of a total of 330.

Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing acknowledged that elections would not be held nationwide. The dates for counting votes and publishing results have not been announced.

The military-backed election commission said more than 50,000 electronic voting machines would speed up the count.

Seats will be defined by a combination of a simple majority system, proportional representation and a mixed-member proportional system, according to the commission.

In previous elections, the simple majority system was used, in which the candidates with the most votes won the seats.

According to the 2008 Constitution, drawn up by the military, 25% of the seats in the upper and lower houses are reserved for active military personnel appointed by the commander of the armed forces.

Only six parties compete nationally, while 51 contest elections in a single region or state. Many parties that participated in the last two elections were dissolved and anti-junta rebels refused to participate.

Only parties approved by the junta were in the running, including the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), an ally of the military, which won the last elections organized by the junta, in 2010.

The USDP fields 1,018 candidates, about a fifth of the total registered. Led by former generals, the party was soundly defeated by the NLD in the 2015 and 2020 elections, the latter of which were canceled after the coup.

Just as in 2010, with the armed forces controlling 25 percent of the legislature and with USDP allies expected to win a significant number of seats, the military will have the power to influence the choice of president, government formation, and appointments to the judiciary and civil service.

How will the president be chosen?

According to the Constitution, Parliament must meet within 90 days of the start of elections. The presidents of the legislative chambers will be elected and, subsequently, the president of the country.

To choose the president, three electoral colleges are formed, made up of members of the upper and lower houses, each nominating a candidate. Two colleges are composed of elected parliamentarians, while the third is composed exclusively of parliamentarians appointed by the military.

A vote then takes place in plenary session of the bicameral Parliament. The candidate with the most votes becomes president and the next two become vice-presidents. After that, the president appoints the cabinet.

What is the international reaction?

The United Nations, many Western countries and human rights organizations say the elections are a sham designed to perpetuate military rule.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Myanmar is a member, has called for fair and inclusive elections and may find it difficult to reconnect with the country even after the elections.

Despite this, junta leader Min Aung Hlaing has stepped up diplomatic efforts this year to drum up support for the elections, including two trips to key allies such as China and Russia, which support the elections, as well as to India, according to state media.

The military rejects international criticism, saying the elections were not carried out through coercion or force and that they enjoy popular support.