Myanmar Prepares For Elections 2 Years After Coup Amid Fears Of Violence
NDTV
Allegations of voter fraud in the last election in November 2020 -- won resoundingly by democracy figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi's party -- were the army's excuse for seizing power on February 1, 2021.
Two years after a coup snuffed out Myanmar's short-lived democratic experiment, the country's military is planning elections that analysts warn could spark further bloodshed as opposition to junta rule rages on.
Observers also say the planned poll cannot be free and fair under the present circumstances, with one analyst characterising it as a mere "performance" aimed at justifying the junta's hold on power.
Allegations of voter fraud in the last election in November 2020 -- won resoundingly by democracy figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi's party -- were the army's excuse for seizing power on February 1, 2021.
Though the claims were never substantiated, the generals arrested Suu Kyi and other top civilian leaders in a series of pre-dawn raids.
