Myanmar: Western Nations Condemn Junta-Planned Elections

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Facts

  • The UK and Canada have joined the US in opposing plans by Myanmar's military junta to hold polls, claiming that a vote without political parties — which together won 89% of the seats in the 2020 election — risks aggravating unrest and violence.1
  • Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said Thursday that the self-governing island will continue to observe the junta's plans and 'advocate for human rights protection and democracy in Myanmar.'1
  • This comes as Myanmar media reported that a pro-junta lobbyist had met with two Japanese opposition lawmakers in Tokyo on Sept. 19 to gather support for the regime's planned election.2
  • Though the election has been postponed until at least 2025, Myanmar has reportedly signed a memorandum of understanding with its longtime partner Russia for cooperation between their election commissions.3
  • Recently, while junta-appointed Union Election Commission Chief Thein Soe observed local polls in Russia, an official visited China to examine its efforts at state-building and party-building.4
  • Meanwhile, the acting leader of the exiled National Unity Government claimed that resistance forces control more than half of the country's territory.5

Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2Myanmar now, 3Time, 4The irrawaddy and 5Bloomberg.

Narratives

  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Global new light of myanmar. Myanmar's State Administration Council has been taking several measures to ensure security, peace and stability, rule of law, and economic development in preparation for free and fair multiparty democratic general elections to hand over the power to the elected political party. The international community should support these efforts as they are the only way out of this crisis.
  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Washington Post. It's outrageous that Gen. Min Aung Hlaing — the very leader who staged a coup against Myanmar's democratically elected government in February 2021 to establish a brutal military regime that has since undertaken a violent campaign against its people — is now trying to portray himself as a democratic leader. What the junta really wants is a state-managed sham election without the opposition camp.

Predictions