Myanmar Begins Controversial Three-Phase Election
The first stage of Myanmar’s three-part election has concluded, amid ongoing criticism that the vote is a “sham.” Major political parties have been banned, opposition leaders jailed, and civil war has left much of the country unstable, with potentially half the population unable to participate. The military government, which seized power nearly five years ago, is holding elections in phases, a move observers say aims to legitimize its rule with support from China. New laws have criminalized dissent related to the polls, with penalties including the death sentence. More than 200 people have been charged for opposing the elections. Reports of explosions and airstrikes emerged in multiple regions during the first round. In Mandalay, a rocket hit an uninhabited home, injuring three people. In Myawaddy township near the Thai border, blasts damaged over ten houses, killing a child and sending […]