Myanmar military-backed party leads after second round of election voting | Election news

Critics, including human rights activists and opposition groups, say the election was not free or fair.

Myanmar’s military-backed political party has extended its lead after the second round of voting, according to official figures from the country’s election board, and the country is now heading into the final stages. A three-phase general election During the wider conflict.

The latest figures published on Friday show that the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) is on track to win a combined 182 seats in the first and second phase of voting, more than half of the country’s 330-member lower house.

The USDP won as many as 86 out of 100 seats in the second phase of voting on Sunday, according to figures provided by state broadcaster MRTV, citing the Central Election Commission. The third and final round of voting will be held on January 25.

Critics, including human rights and opposition groups, say the elections are not free or fair and are an attempt by the military to legitimize Aung San Suu Kyi’s rule after seizing power from the elected government in February 2021.

The military takeover sparked widespread opposition that escalated into civil war.

Due to the armed conflicts in the country, this election is being held in three phases.

On December 28 and January 11, the first and second rounds were held in 202 of the total 330 townships in the country. The final will be held in another township, but the other 65 will not participate due to the battle in those areas.

Final results for all seats in both national and regional assemblies are expected to be declared by the end of January.

Army spokesman Major-General Zaw Min Tun said late last week that the two houses of parliament would convene in March, with the new government taking office in April.

Armed groups opposed to the army attacked polling stations and government buildings in several townships during the first two rounds of voting, the military government said.

The election also comes as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is currently hearing a case brought by GambiaMyanmar accuses its Rohingya community of genocide.

More than 4,800 candidates from 57 political parties are contesting for national and regional assembly seats, while only six parties are contesting seats across the country.

One of them, the People’s Pioneer Party, is facing a pending legal case that could result in its dissolution after authorities scrutinized its chairperson, Thet Khin, and another senior party member for holding meetings with representatives of foreign embassies in Yangon, the country’s largest city, without prior approval from the Election Commission.

The new Election Protection Act imposes stiff penalties for most public criticism of the polls, with authorities recently charging more than 330 people for leafleting or online activity.