Is Myanmar Election A 'Sham'? UN Calls It 'Theatre Of Absurd' Amid Detention Of Thousands Of Political Opponents

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Voters in military-controlled areas of Myanmar went to the polls on Sunday in a phased election that is widely seen as a“sham” and expected to favour the junta-aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party.

UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews on Sunday said that a vote organised by a junta that continues to bomb civilians, imprison political leaders, and criminalise dissent could not be considered a genuine election, describing it as“a theatre of the absurd performed at gunpoint", according to BBC. He urged the international community to reject the election, saying that“nothing legitimate” could emerge from it.

Over 30,000 political opponents detained since 2021: UN

Campaigners, Western diplomats and the United Nations' human rights chief have all slammed the phased, month-long election, pointing to a process dominated by military-aligned candidates and a severe crackdown on dissent. A report by AFP cited the United Nations in Myanmar mentioning it was "critical that the future of Myanmar is determined through a free, fair, inclusive and credible process that reflects the will of its people".

The United Nations noted that more than 30,000 political opponents, including members of the democratically elected government and political representatives, have been detained since 2021.

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The country's most popular party, the National League for Democracy, has been barred from contesting the election. Its leader, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who was removed from office by the military months after the party's landslide victory in the 2020 general election, remains in detention, and the party she once led has since been dissolved.

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Over 200 people have been charged under a newly introduced law for obstructing or opposing the elections, with the legislation carrying severe penalties, including the death sentence, reported BBC. Several well-known figures, including film director Mike Tee, actor Kyaw Win Htut and comedian Ohn Daing, were among those convicted under the law, which was introduced in July to curb interference with the polls.

Meanwhile, according to the Union Election Commission, a total of 4,863 candidates representing 57 political parties are in the fray. Voting is scheduled to take place in three phases over the coming month across 265 of Myanmar's 330 townships, while the remaining areas have been classified as too unstable. The next rounds are scheduled for January 11 and January 25, with results expected toward the end of the month.

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