Shwe Phee Myay, August 22
The junta has announced that 12 townships in Shan State are among the 102 locations selected for the first phase of its planned “General Elections,” according to its statement on Wednesday.
In the junta’s first phase of the elections, the elections are planned to be held in 12 townships in Shan State, 3 townships in Rakhine State, 3 townships in Karen State, 2 townships in Karenni State, 5 townships in Mon State, and 2 townships in Chin State.
Then, the elections will also be held in 12 townships in Yangon Region, 4 townships in Tanintharyi Region, 12 townships in Sagaing Region, 8 townships in Bago Region, 9 townships in Magwe Region, 8 townships in Mandalay Region, 8 townships in Ayeyarwady Region, and 8 townships in Naypyitaw.
Among the townships where the junta plans to hold the first phase of the election, the text highlights Nawnghkio, which the junta’s military recaptured last month, and Lashio and Muse, on the border with China, which were handed over by the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA).
The first phase of the junta-planned “General Elections” will be held on December 28, and the elections in the remaining areas will be held in a phased manner depending on the security situation, according to a statement from the junta-controlled Union Election Commission (UEC).
At this moment, over 50 political parties have registered and been approved by the UEC, and 9 parties, including the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), are planning to contest nationwide.
However, major political parties in Myanmar, such as the National League for Democracy (NLD) and the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), which won the 2020 General Election by a wide margin, have been systematically cracked down on and removed by the junta.
The exiled civilian National Unity Government (NUG) has stated that the junta’s military is trying to gain impunity for its war crimes and crimes against humanity by using the sham election it is planning to hold as a cover.
Translated by #KLT
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