{"id":380,"date":"2025-12-28T12:34:01","date_gmt":"2025-12-28T12:34:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/?p=380"},"modified":"2025-12-28T12:37:37","modified_gmt":"2025-12-28T12:37:37","slug":"myanmar-polling-ends-in-first-vote-under-military-rule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/?p=380","title":{"rendered":"Myanmar Polling Ends in First Vote Under Military Rule","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

Myanmar<\/a><\/strong> has officially closed polling in its first general election process since the 2021 military takeover, a vote held in a fraction of the country as armed conflict continues to restrict public participation.<\/p>\n

Sunday\u2019s polling phase covered just one-third of Myanmar\u2019s 330 townships<\/strong>, according to the Home Office election schedule. Many regions remain unreachable due to active clashes involving military forces and multiple resistance groups.<\/p>\n

In Yangon<\/strong>, the country\u2019s largest city, polling centers opened at 6:00 AM local time<\/strong> and closed at 4:00 PM<\/strong>, under heavy security monitoring. Unofficial estimates from election officials suggest turnout was far lower than past elections<\/strong>, with early indications pointing to participation from about one out of every three registered voters<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe main question now is how many people in cities were willing to show up, especially when the ballots offer very few alternatives,\u201d said a regional media correspondent reporting from Yangon.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Opposition Groups and Political Leaders Still Absent<\/h4>\n

Former State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi<\/strong> remains detained, while the National League for Democracy<\/a> (NLD)<\/strong>, which previously won major election victories, has been dissolved. Political parties critical of military governance were not allowed to compete, leaving the ballot dominated by military-aligned organizations.<\/p>\n

The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP)<\/strong>, widely recognized as a pro-military political platform, is expected to secure the largest share of seats, though no official results timeline has been provided yet.<\/p>\n

Security, First-Time Tech, and Ballot Restrictions<\/h4>\n

Election week has also been marked by violence. In the Mandalay region<\/strong>, three civilians were hospitalized after a rocket strike hit an empty residential building early Sunday. One patient is still in critical condition, according to the region\u2019s chief minister.<\/p>\n

Separately, explosions near the Thailand border in Myawaddy township<\/strong> damaged more than ten homes. Local residents told reporters that civilians were injured in the attack, including one child whose death has been reported but not yet independently verified.<\/p>\n

Myanmar also deployed electronic voting machines for the first time<\/strong>, but the system does not allow write-in candidates or intentionally invalid ballots, according to election monitors.<\/p>\n

Ink marking remains mandatory \u2014 voters dip one finger in indelible ink after submitting their vote to prevent duplicate participation.<\/p>\n

\"Myanmar<\/p>\n

Phased Voting Continues Into January<\/h4>\n

Two additional polling rounds are scheduled for January 11 and January 25<\/strong>, while voting has been cancelled entirely in 65 townships<\/strong>, meaning millions are currently without access to the election process.<\/p>\n

Officials have not confirmed when vote counting will begin or when results will be announced.<\/p>\n

Allies Present, but Legitimacy Questions Persist<\/h4>\n

State media reported that observers from China, Russia, Cambodia, India, Vietnam, Belarus, and several other countries<\/strong> were present during election week, signaling diplomatic support for the process.<\/p>\n

However, the UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, Tom Andrews<\/strong>, urged international governments to reject the vote, calling it a process conducted without the freedoms necessary for public political choice.<\/p>\n

Analysts Say the Vote Won\u2019t Shift the Crisis<\/h4>\n

Independent policy analysts warn that the election is unlikely to reshape Myanmar\u2019s national leadership or reduce internal tensions.<\/p>\n

One regional expert wrote in a recent briefing that the vote is expected to maintain military control over national administration<\/strong>, while doing little to resolve the conflict or change public trust in the political system.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Myanmar has officially closed polling in its first general election process since the 2021 military takeover, a vote held in a fraction of the country as armed conflict continues to restrict public participation. Sunday\u2019s polling phase covered just one-third of Myanmar\u2019s 330 townships, according to the Home Office election schedule. Many regions remain unreachable due […]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":1,"featured_media":382,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"link","format":"url"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=380"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":383,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380\/revisions\/383"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}