Yangon: Myanmar's military government announced that voter turnout reached just over half of the eligible voters during the first of three rounds of national elections conducted over the weekend. This turnout is notably lower than in the country's two previous elections.
According to Thai News Agency, a spokesperson for the military government reported to state media that more than 6 million people, representing 52.13 percent of registered voters, participated in the elections across 102 cities on Sunday. The spokesperson compared the turnout to those in developed democracies, where voter participation sometimes falls below 50 percent, suggesting that this figure is commendable.
However, data from the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) reveals that voter turnout in Myanmar's 2015 and 2020 general elections was nearly 70 percent. This election, the first since the 2021 coup, takes place amid ongoing conflict between the military government and opposition groups. Analysts anticipate that the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which is closely associated with the military and led by former generals, will prevail and regain power.
The United Nations, several Western nations, and human rights organizations have criticized the election process, arguing it is neither free, fair, nor credible. They highlight that opposition parties were banned from participating and that any criticism of the election process was illegal.
Upcoming elections are scheduled for January 11th and 25th, encompassing 265 of the 330 subdistricts nationwide. Despite this, the military government lacks full control over these regions. The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) points out that the military's election law does not mandate a minimum voter turnout threshold.
Meanwhile, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi remains imprisoned. Her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), which achieved a landslide victory in the 2020 elections, was dissolved following the military coup.