Myanmar kicks off 1st phase of election

Myanmar began the first phase of its multiparty democratic general election on Sunday in 102 townships.

It marks the country's first election since the military overthrew an elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi and established the State Administration Council in February 2021.

A state of emergency was announced the same year and was lifted in July this year to pave the way for the election. Military chief Min Aung Hlaing has remained as acting president.

"We guarantee it to be a free and fair election," Min Aung Hlaing told reporters in the capital Nay Pyi Daw, Agence France-Presse reported.

"It is organized by the military; we can't let our name be tarnished," he said.

More than 5,000 candidates from 57 political parties are taking part in the elections for an estimated 950 seats in the Pyithu Hluttaw (lower house), Amyotha Hluttaw (upper house), and State and Regional Hluttaws (state and regional parliaments).

Among them, only six parties will compete nationwide for the Union parliament, with the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party being the largest one.

In an article published on Sunday, state media The Global New Light of Myanmar said the election is part of "opening the new chapter of Myanmar's political landscape".

"The election will serve as a bridge for the people of Myanmar to reach a prosperous future," it said.

International election observers include those from China, India, Kazakhstan, Russia and Vietnam.

The general election is scheduled to be held in three phases, with the second one on Jan 11 in 100 townships and the third on Jan 25 in 63 townships.

The dates for counting votes and announcing the election results have not yet been declared.

A new parliament must convene within 90 days of the start of the election to elect a speaker and then the president. The president, as the head of state, will proceed to form a new government, according to Myanmar's constitution.

As the election is held amid multiple crises, analysts said that the success of the election will be judged not by the voting process alone, but by post-vote progress in reconciliation, public welfare, and responses to security and development challenges.

The United Nations said earlier this month that fighting and disasters have displaced an estimated 3.6 million people in the Southeast Asian country of more than 50 million, with the figure expected to climb to around 4 million next year.

Food insecurity is one of the most urgent concerns. The UN's World Food Programme has warned that more than 12 million people in Myanmar will face acute hunger next year.