Myanmar: An election with no real choice

Myanmar's ruling junta on Sunday held the first phase of the elections, the country's first poll since a military coup in 2021.

While the junta is touting the vote as a meaningful step forward, as much as half the country is not taking part due to a civil war that has been raging since the coup.

Polling stations in Myanmar's major urban centers opened Sunday, but turnout was significantly lower than during the landmark 2015 and 2020 elections.

Unlike the previous polls, which saw long queues forming well before dawn, the atmosphere on Sunday was marked by quiet streets, as many people preferred to get on with their daily lives rather than turn out to vote.

One young woman leaving a polling station room in Yangon refused to speak to DW, saying, "I am sorry, I don't want to answer."

This cautious sentiment among the youth was palpable throughout the first day of the country's election.

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The voting is scheduled for three phases. The first phase, which took place on December 28, is complete. The second and third phases are set for January 11 and January 25.

In the weeks leading up to the election, DW spoke to many young people who expressed concerns about the potential negative consequences of not voting.

"We are concerned about the implications of not voting. Could this prevent us from leaving the country, or will there be checks for proof of voting at the airport?" a 30-year-old male resident of Yangon, who wished to remain anonymous, told DW.

Polling stations in major cities are seeing a higher presence of elderly voters. This shift is linked to the significant departure of youth from the country, a trend accelerated by the oppression following the coup and the junta's conscription enactment last year.

A 37-year-old woman, who also chose not to provide her name due to security concerns, was at the station to cast her vote with her child. She told DW of her exhaustion with the current situation.

"I voted, just to hope if there's any change after the elections," she said, but declined to comment further.

The US, EU and other Western powers have already dismissed the vote as a "sham," arguing they solely benefit the military generals and further worsen the plight of the nation.

"It is quite obvious that in the present state of conflict and taking into account the records of human rights of the military junta … that the conditions for free and fair elections are not there," UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said at a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Malaysia in late October.

After the 2021 coup, Myanmar's pro-democracy icon and de facto leader of the government, Aung San Suu Kyi, was detained and imprisoned, along with other democratically elected civilian leaders.

Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy, has been banned.

Since 2021, over 7,630 civilians have been killed by security forces, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPB). Furthermore, the AAPB reports that around 30,000 people are currently detained for political offenses.

"For the election to be credible, opposition leaders and parliament members must be released and allowed to participate," Ejaz Min Khant, a human rights specialist at Fortify Rights, a regional rights group, told DW.

"An election run solely by the military, without main or major opposition, is a sham," he added, arguing that the multi-phase process reflects the junta's difficulty in maintaining stability across the country.

Aside from there being no real opposition, the vote is not being held in areas where the military is not in control.

The junta-appointed Union Election Commission (UEC) in Myanmar has expanded the number of areas that are excluded from the vote.

On Saturday, the day before the first phase, nine additional townships were added to this list, increasing the total number of disenfranchised townships to 65.

After casting his ballot at a polling station in Naypyitaw, the junta leader, Min Aung Hlaing, assured reporters that the election would be free and fair.

But a lawyer in Yangon, who wished to remain anonymous, told DW that the issue is "not so much about whether the election is fair or who is running it — be it the military or someone else."

"It's that people want to see some kind of change now, rather than just letting things continue to drag on in this state of collapse," the lawyer said.

While some observers hoped the junta would ease certain restrictions for the elections, many others believe any relaxation will be minimal, serving only to benefit the regime, which hopes to gain greater international engagement and legitimacy.

Outside the polling station on Sunday, Min Aung Hlaing appeared to try to downplay his presidential ambitions.

"I am the Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services and a public servant. I can't simply say that I want to do this or that. I am not a leader of a political party," he said, adding that his potential presidency can only be discussed after Parliament establishes the process for choosing a president.

Junta-affiliated media and supporters promoted the event as a success, showcasing images of people casting their votes.

However, local independent media outlets Mizzima News and Myanmar Now reported that government staff, military personnel and their families were being pressured to vote and were being required to prove that they had participated in the election.

Last week, the junta chief warned that those who choose not to vote were rejecting "progress toward democracy."

While the junta moves forward with its electoral roadmap, the conflict on the ground continues to escalate as the junta attempts to reclaim lost ground and force opposition groups into submission.