KATHMANDU : Myanmar, a country in Southeast Asia, is holding its first election. Voting has begun in the first phase of the general election, the first since the military seized power in 2021.But this election has been mired in controversy from the start, as civil war continues in many parts of the country.However, senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who has been running an autocratic regime since seizing power, is widely expected to take over the presidency after the election.

The military government has portrayed the election as a “process of returning to electoral democracy.” But its legitimacy appears to be undermined by the banning of major opposition parties and allegations of voter intimidation.The election is designed to give civilian rule the cover of military rule that began after the overthrow of the government of elected Prime Minister Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.

Former leader Aung San Suu Kyi is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence. Her party, the National League for Democracy, was dissolved in 2023 after it refused to register under new military regulations.Many other parties have also boycotted the election. Despite a landslide victory by the National League for Democracy in the 2020 election, Suu Kyi and her party were prevented from returning to power.

Various organizations have made public data showing that more than 22,000 people have been detained for political reasons in Myanmar since 2021, and more than 7,600 civilians have been killed by security forces.More than 3.6 million civilians have been displaced due to the civil war.

An election conducted by a military regime under the threat of gunfire, while imprisoning civilians and political leaders, cannot be a democratic election for the people of Myanmar. The election is a sham process designed to legitimize the military regime.

How will General Min Aung Hlaing assume the presidency in such a situation? Holding dramatic elections while curbing democracy is certain to plunge Myanmar into further crisis.

Note: Myanmar is a country rich in precious stones, gems, oil, natural gas, and other mineral resources.Myanmar is rich in renewable energy. Myanmar, which is home to a majority of ethnic minority groups, is embroiled in widespread ethnic strife, with its numerous ethnic groups embroiled in one of the world’s longest-running civil wars.