Burma's pro-military party claims a landslide victory in the first phase of parliamentary elections
On Monday, Myanmar's main pro-military party claimed a landslide victory in the first phase of the parliamentary elections organized by the military government. A party official announced this news to AFP.
The high-ranking official of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) said: "In the constituencies where the counting has been completed, we have won 82 out of 102 seats in the lower house." Due to not being allowed to officially announce the results, the official requested anonymity.
He added that the party won eight constituencies in the capital, Naypyidaw.
The Myanmar Election Commission has not yet released the results of the first phase of voting held in some constituencies on Sunday. The subsequent two phases are scheduled for January 11th and 25th respectively.
Since the military coup in 2021, the military government has labeled this parliamentary election as a return to democracy, but many countries and international observers have condemned it as an attempt to maintain their regime.
Many analysts describe the pro-military parties as the civilian wing of the army and assert that former officers occupy key leadership positions. Morgan Michaels, a researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said, "This election lacks credibility," and "the USDP naturally dominates."
In the previous one, the party led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi defeated the USDP in the 2020 election, but this party did not appear on the ballot in this election.
The party was dissolved by the military after the coup. Since that coup, which triggered a civil war, Aung San Suu Kyi has been imprisoned.
Military leader Min Aung Hlaing claimed on Sunday, after voting in Naypyidaw, that this election was "free and fair." He said, "It is organized by the army; we cannot allow our reputation to be tarnished."
The first phase of voting should have taken place in 102 administrative divisions across the country's 330 administrative divisions, which is the most significant voting of the three stages. However, many places in the 330 administrative divisions are controlled by rebel organizations.
The military admitted that nearly one-fifth of the constituencies could not hold elections. AFP said that the military coup triggered a civil war, and some pro-democracy activists have formed guerrillas to fight alongside ethnic minority militias who have long opposed the central government.
Source: rfi
Original: toutiao.com/article/1852890627106824/
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