Burmese citizens accused of opposing elections organized by the military junta have been handed prison sentences of up to 49 years under a new election law that severely restricts public demonstrations and political debate. According to the original source, these elections are marked by the exclusion of key figures, the imprisonment of activists and a climate of intimidation and violence amid an armed conflict that continues in several regions of the country. Thousands of Burmese citizens were called to vote this Sunday in the first electoral process since the coup in February 2021.
According to the source, these elections will result in a voting pattern that will be held in three different phases: the first today, the second on January 11th and the last on the 25th of the same month. The call, formally announced in July after months of postponements, comes as Burma remains embroiled in an internal war and under a regime of military control that critics and international organizations say has limited democratic guarantees and increased repression. Many parts of the opposition and parts of civil society have pushed forward calls for a boycott and denounced an opaque process in which armed violence and pressure from the authorities can deter citizens from affected regions from taking part.
The armed forces justify holding the elections despite the armed conflict by saying that the vote will facilitate the transition to a multi-party system. However, according to the source, the opposition continues to insist that the central aim of the call is to legitimize the longevity of military chief Min Aung Hlaing and consolidate the military’s dominance over the state apparatus. Against this background, various opposition parties and movements have refused to register under the imposed conditions or have expressly asked not to participate.
According to complaints gathered by the source, repression has intensified since the start of the election campaign. More than a hundred people were arrested across the territory on charges of attempting to sabotage the process or distribute materials for the boycott. The election protection law, which came into force a few months before the call, was used to prosecute and impose severe penalties on dissidents, a situation that human rights groups and activists describe as an attempt to eliminate any opposition voice. According to the original source, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk stated that “some sentences are extremely harsh, ranging from 42 to 49 years in prison for putting up anti-election posters.”
Among those arrested and sentenced in recent months are figures in Burmese society such as director Mike Tee, actor Kyaw Win Htut and comedian Ohn Daing, who are credited with “undermining trust” in the army. In addition, the source said threats had been documented against the violently displaced population, urging them to return to their hometowns to vote, amid warnings of possible attacks if they did not do so.
Former “de facto leader” and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, 80, remains deprived of her freedom and barred from the race, according to the original media. His party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), which was victorious in November 2020 elections later annulled by the coup, was dissolved after refusing to register under new parameters set by the military junta. Other parties also called for a boycott or refused to run under the specified conditions.
The process is also subject to territorial restrictions. The armed conflict rocking Burma has made it impossible to hold elections in 65 locations where clashes between armed forces and resistance groups are preventing the safe movement of voters and electoral authorities. The military junta has realized that it can only organize the first day of voting in 102 of the country’s 330 municipalities, all of which are under strict military control. Although more than 50 parties have registered candidates, the majority’s presence is limited to the local level and only six parties are competing for opportunities at the national level. The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which is closely linked to the army, has regulatory and structural advantages following the legal reform.
The elections will feature around 5,000 candidates for seats in the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, the bicameral parliament. According to the source, the international community continues to impose sanctions on the Burmese government due to continued attacks on civilians and the systematic suppression of dissent. The United Nations and various humanitarian organizations continue to denounce the climate of violence and intimidation surrounding the entire electoral process and warn that large sections of the population, particularly in rural areas and conflict zones, could be excluded from control for security reasons.
The country’s political history has been one of military control since independence in 1948, and the source said current electoral efforts are aimed at sealing a new formula for military legitimacy through elections. The costs of the conflict include not only a lack of electoral guarantees, but also a very high number of prisoners and victims. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners of Burma (AAPP) reports that more than 22,600 people were detained for political reasons following the 2021 coup, while official estimates attribute the deaths of at least 7,600 civilians to security forces.
In parallel, groups defending fundamental rights continue to point out that current conditions prevent talk of a free and representative vote, and emphasize that the electoral process must be assessed in the context of exclusion, threats and systematic use of force by the junta. Therefore, those who go to the polls today do so in the midst of a scenario of uncertainty in which they face complaints of pressure, military surveillance and extreme restrictions on political expression. These elections are taking place in a country marked by decades of military rule and where, according to strong claims from the opposition and the international community, democratic conditions remain unattainable.
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