The Myanmar military junta has announced that 52.13% of eligible voters participated in the first phase of the national election held last weekend. According to junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun, approximately six million people cast ballots across 102 townships.
Despite the figure being significantly lower than the 70% turnout recorded in the 2015 and 2020 elections, the junta defended the numbers, comparing them to turnout rates in "developed democratic nations" and describing the participation as a "source of pride."
The election—the first since the 2021 military coup—is being conducted against a backdrop of a brutal civil war. The legitimacy of the polls has been heavily challenged by the United Nations, human rights groups, and Western nations.2 Critics argue the vote is neither free nor fair because:
The National League for Democracy (NLD), led by the detained Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, has been dissolved. It is currently illegal to criticize the polling process in Myanmar. Analysts expect the military-aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) to secure a victory by default.
The election is structured into three phases, with the remaining rounds scheduled for January 11 and January 25, 2025. While the junta intends to cover 265 out of 330 townships, their lack of territorial control in several regions remains a major obstacle.
Notably, there is no legal minimum turnout requirement for the election results to be considered valid under the junta’s current framework.
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