Myanmar’s Final Round of Elections: Voters Hold No Expectations

(Myanmar, 25th) Myanmar’s month-long general election held its final round of voting on the 25th. The military-backed ruling party is expected to achieve an overwhelming victory in this military-led election. Critics say the election will further prolong military control over the regime.

The last general election in Myanmar was held in November 2020.

According to AFP, tropical Myanmar has a long history of military rule, but during a decade of civilian-led reforms, the military temporarily retreated behind the scenes. However, in 2021, a military coup ended all of that. Democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi was detained, civil war broke out, and the country fell into a humanitarian crisis.

This third stage of the election comes just one week before the fifth anniversary of the coup.

An AFP reporter witnessed the beginning of voting in Myanmar’s second-largest city, Mandalay. 53-year-old teacher Zaw Ko Ko Min cast his ballot at dawn.

"Although I don’t have much hope, we all want to see a better country," he told AFP. "After voting, I felt relieved, as if I had fulfilled my responsibility."

With Aung San Suu Kyi marginalized and her widely popular party dissolved, democracy advocates say that most of the election candidates are military allies.

"I don’t have any expectations for this election," a 34-year-old Yangon resident told AFP, requesting anonymity for safety reasons. "Things will just keep dragging on."

The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), made up of retired military officers, has been described by analysts as a puppet of the military. It has won over 85% of the lower house seats and two-thirds of the upper house seats in the first two stages of the election.

Military government leader Min Aung Hlaing has not ruled out the possibility of becoming president.

Analysts say the military is manipulating this election to give its rule a veneer of civilian legitimacy.

A Yangon resident, who did not wish to be named, said she felt pressured to participate in the vote and promised to "vote for any party other than the Union Solidarity and Development Party."

She said: "I know what the final result will be, but I hope my vote might change the outcome, even if just a little."

Official results are expected to be announced later this week, but the Union Solidarity and Development Party could declare victory as soon as the 26th.