GLIMPSES: Prepping polling machines ahead of Myanmar’s weekend election

Myanmar’s election officials made final preparations on Saturday at polling stations across Yangon, testing voting machines and ensuring readiness for Sunday’s general election, the country’s first vote since 2020.

Workers transformed local schools into polling centers as Myanmar approaches what international observers describe as a pivotal but deeply problematic electoral process. The election will unfold in three separate phases, with additional voting scheduled for January 11 and January 25.

The military junta, which seized power in February 2021 by overthrowing the democratically elected government of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, has positioned these elections as evidence of Myanmar’s return to multiparty democracy. Analysts widely view this characterization as an attempt to legitimize the military’s continued grip on power in a nation that has experienced profound political turmoil since the coup.

“This election represents a critical moment for Myanmar, but not for the reasons the military claims,” said a regional security expert who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of commenting on Myanmar politics. “Rather than restoring democracy, it appears designed to entrench military control while creating a veneer of democratic process.”

The Southeast Asian nation has been embroiled in a devastating civil war since the military takeover, with armed resistance movements emerging across the country. Fighting has been particularly intense in border regions and areas with strong ethnic minority populations, making voting impossible in numerous districts. The United Nations estimates that over 2.6 million people have been internally displaced since the coup, creating additional electoral challenges.

Human rights organizations and opposition groups have denounced the upcoming vote as fundamentally flawed. The military-controlled Union Election Commission has disqualified major opposition parties and candidates, while Aung San Suu Kyi remains imprisoned on multiple charges that her supporters and international observers consider politically motivated.

“The prerequisites for a legitimate election simply don’t exist in today’s Myanmar,” said a spokesperson for a regional monitoring organization. “Free elections require free speech, free assembly, and free participation of all political actors – none of which exist under the current military administration.”

The military has justified its continued rule by claiming fraud in the 2020 elections, allegations that have been widely dismissed by independent electoral observers who monitored that vote. The coup abruptly ended Myanmar’s decade-long experiment with democratic governance after nearly 50 years of military rule.

Since seizing power, the junta has violently suppressed dissent, arresting thousands of political opponents and using airstrikes against civilian areas in regions where resistance is strongest. The economy has collapsed under military rule, with the World Bank reporting that Myanmar’s GDP remains approximately 13 percent below pre-pandemic levels, while inflation has soared above 30 percent.

International reaction to the election has been overwhelmingly skeptical, with most Western nations and regional powers expressing concern about the vote’s legitimacy. Myanmar’s neighbors in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have struggled to influence the situation despite repeated diplomatic efforts.

For ordinary citizens in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, the election preparations occur against a backdrop of economic hardship, security concerns, and political uncertainty. Many residents express little faith that the vote will improve their circumstances or end the conflict that has torn apart the country of 54 million people.

The military’s decision to hold elections during an ongoing civil war underscores both its determination to project legitimacy and the significant challenges it faces in controlling the country. Regardless of the election’s outcome, most analysts expect Myanmar’s complex political crisis and humanitarian emergency to continue well into the foreseeable future.