"Myanmar's main pro-military party has claimed an overwhelming lead in the first phase of elections organised by the country's military rulers as critics warn that the tightly controlled vote is designed to cement the position of the ruling party. The first round of voting on Sunday is to be followed by two further rounds on January 11 and January 25. Voting has been cancelled in 65 townships."
"A senior official from the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) told the AFP news agency the party had won 82 of 102 seats in the lower house of the legislature in townships where counting had been completed, suggesting it secured more than 80 percent of the seats contested in Sunday's vote. The official added that the party had also won all eight townships in the capital, Naypyidaw."
"The United Nations human rights chief has condemned the elections, citing a crackdown on dissent, while campaign groups have criticised candidate lists dominated by figures aligned with the military. The elections were held in only about a third of Myanmar's 330 townships as large parts of the country are inaccessible due to fighting between the military and opposition forces after the 2021 military coup that overthrew the elected government of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi."
The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) reported winning 82 of 102 counted lower-house seats and all eight townships in Naypyidaw in the first election phase. Voting occurred in about a third of Myanmar's 330 townships, with elections cancelled in 65 townships because large areas remain inaccessible due to fighting between the military and opposition forces following the 2021 coup. The United Nations human rights chief condemned the vote and campaign groups criticised candidate lists dominated by military-aligned figures. The National League for Democracy and dozens of other parties are banned and Aung San Suu Kyi remains detained.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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