Myanmar’s military chief and acting president, Min Aung Hlaing, has ordered tighter security for political parties, candidates, and voters as the country prepares for elections scheduled for December and January, polls widely dismissed in the West as a bid to cement military rule.
Speaking at the first meeting of a newly formed election commission in Naypyitaw on Tuesday, Min Aung Hlaing warned of increased attacks on civil servants in the run-up to the vote and urged authorities to take comprehensive measures to protect participants.
“The election must be held without fail,” the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar quoted him as saying.
The planned polls come four years after the military coup that overthrew the elected civilian government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, triggering mass protests and a civil war involving ethnic armed groups and new anti-junta militias.
Western governments and opposition movements have rejected the election, saying it will be dominated by military proxies and exclude key opponents, many of whom are barred from running or boycotting in protest.
The military-backed authorities last year conducted a nationwide census to compile voter rolls but were only able to reach 145 of Myanmar’s 330 townships due to ongoing conflict. Earlier this month, the junta transferred power to a nominally civilian-led interim administration tasked with organizing the vote.
Officials on Tuesday also reviewed ongoing military operations and plans to form “people’s security” groups to safeguard polling.
Last month, the junta enacted new electoral laws that include severe penalties, from a minimum of three years’ imprisonment to the death penalty, for violations, citing the need to protect the integrity of the election process.
Written By Rodney Mbua
