11 h. ago Myanmar holds second round of ‘sham elections’ amid armed conflict

Special rapporteur working with UN human rights office says elections are neither free nor fair

Events

15 h. ago Myanmar junta holds second phase of election widely decried as a ‘sham exercise’

UN and many western countries as well as human rights groups say that in the absence of a meaningful opposition the election is neither free, fair nor credibleVoters in war-torn Myanmar queued up on Sunday to cast their ballots in the second stage of a military-run election, following low turnout in the initial round of polls that have been widely criticised as a tool to formalise junta rule.Myanmar has been ravaged by conflict since the military ousted a civilian government in a 2021 coup and detained its leader, Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking a civil war that has engulfed large parts of the impoverished nation of 51 million people. Continue reading...

Politics

23 h. ago ‘Thousands have been killed. Why would I vote?’ Myanmar’s people despair over sham election and plea for Aung San Suu Kyi’s return

Opposition groups and the UN have called for the international community to boycott the results of elections held by the military junta. Maung Maung, Peter Popham and James C Reynolds report

Politics

3 d. ago Syrian army orders Aleppo evacuations amid fighting with Kurdish forces

People told to leave three areas as fears grow of wider conflict between government and Kurdish authoritiesThe Syrian army ordered civilians to evacuate neighbourhoods of Aleppo on Thursday after fighting with Kurdish forces entered its third day, deepening the rift between the Syrian government and the US-backed Kurdish authorities in Syria.The Syrian government urged people to leave the three contested neighbourhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh and Bani Zeid by early afternoon, opening humanitarian corridors and displacement shelters to facilitate their exit. The Syrian army said it would begin military operations against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) after the deadline, and issued maps showing specific areas that needed to be evacuated. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Myanmar junta fails in bid to force high turnout for sham elections

Military-backed party claims victory in first phase of widely discredited three-part general election, with turnout down by some 18%

Politics

9 d. ago ‘We are always living in fear’: inside Myanmar’s ‘sham’ election

Myanmar’s military rulers are holding the first elections since the 2021 coup, and life in the country’s biggest city is fraught with anxiety Yangon feels, on the surface, like a normal, bustling city. In downtown areas, commuters stream past roadside sellers and diners perch beneath parasols. Packed buses and cars chug along the roads. At sunset, young people stop to pose for photos opposite the famous Sule pagoda, as it gleams against a pink-blue sky.But almost five years on from the military seized power in a coup, ousting and imprisoning then de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, life for local people feels anything but stable. Myanmar’s military rulers are in the process of holding the first elections since before the coup, a vote that the junta has touted as a return to democracy and stability. The UN and western governments have called the process, which will be held in three phases ending on 25 January, a sham. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Photos show Myanmar holding its first election since the military seized power

Voters in Myanmar cast ballots in the first phase of the country’s general election Sunday. The polls are being held under military rule during a civil war. Critics argue the election is a facade to legitimize military control under the pretense of civilian rule.

Events

2 w. ago Polls close in first phase of Myanmar elections widely condemned as a sham

Turnout appears to be low in vote in which most candidates seen as allies of military junta and large areas excluded by warPolls have closed in conflict-racked Myanmar, ending the first phase of an election that has been widely condemned as a sham designed to legitimise the military junta’s rule.The military has touted the vote as a return to democracy almost five years after it seized power in a coup, ousting the country’s then de-facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, detaining her and sparking a spiralling civil war. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Myanmar elections: voting begins under junta stranglehold with Aung San Suu Kyi banned

War with opposition groups means large areas are excluded from poll, while recent law prohibits criticising a process regarded internationally as a shamPolling stations have opened in some areas of conflict-racked Myanmar for an election that has been widely condemned as a sham designed to legitimise the military junta’s rule.The most popular party is banned from running in the election, and large areas of the country will be completely excluded because they are under the control of anti-junta groups or racked by fierce fighting. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Myanmar votes in sham election under atmosphere of fear and coercion: ‘What will change? Nothing’

With only parties vetted by the military allowed to contest Myanmar’s first election in five years, Sara Perria speaks to people in Yangon and Mandalay who are heading out to vote because they are being forced – not out of any hope for a better future

Politics

2 w. ago Myanmar will hold its first general election in 5 years as criticism of the military rule mounts

Myanmar will hold the first phase of a general election on Sunday, its first vote in five years and an election framed by the ruling military as a return to multi-party democracy

Events

2 w. ago Myanmar junta using ‘brutal violence’ to force people to vote in sham election, UN says

Prominent cultural figures have been handed harsh years-long prison sentences for questioning a state propaganda film

Politics