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Myanmar votes in first election in 20 years
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Myanmar votes in first election in 20 years
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By Aung Hla Tun
YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar voted in its first election in 20 years on Sunday under tight security, a scripted vote that assures army-backed parties an easy win but brings a hint of parliamentary politics to one of Asia's most...
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Voting begins in Myanmar
12:01am EDT
1 / 17
Voters cast their ballots at a polling station in central Yangon as Myanmar holds its general elections November 7, 2010.
Credit: Reuters/stringer
By Aung Hla Tun
YANGON |
Sun Nov 7, 2010 2:25am EST
YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar voted in its first election in 20 years on Sunday under tight security, a scripted vote that assures army-backed parties an easy win but brings a hint of parliamentary politics to one of Asia's most oppressed states.
The carefully choreographed end of a half-century of direct army rule is largely a race between two military-backed parties running virtually unopposed, due to complex election rules that stifled any prospect for pro-democracy parties to cause an upset.
The vote will not bring an end to Western sanctions but could reduce Myanmar's isolation in Asia at a time when neighboring China has dramatically increased investments in natural gas and other resources in the former British colony also known as Burma.
"There are elections that are being held right now in Burma that will be anything but free and fair, based on every report that we are seeing," U.S. President Barack Obama told students in the Indian financial capital Mumbai.
"For too long the people of Burma have been denied the right to determine their own destiny."
Armed riot police stood guard at polling booths or patrolled streets in military trucks in the commercial hub Yangon, part of a clampdown that includes bans on foreign media and outside election monitors, and a tightening in state censorship.
The Internet was barely functioning, hit by repeated failures widely believed orchestrated by the military junta to control information. Power failures also hampered early turnout.
It is the first vote since 1990, when pro-democracy candidates won by a landslide in a result ignored by the junta.
"After the elections, Burma will be a military dictatorship just as much as now," said David Williams, director of the Center for Constitutional Democracy at Indiana University School of Law.
The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) is the military's political juggernaut, fielding 27 incumbent ministers, top-heavy with recently retired generals.
The USDP dominated the campaign, contesting all 1,158 seats up for grabs. Its only real rival is the National Unity Party (NUP), another vehicle for the military, running in 980 seats.
CHARGES OF IRREGULARITIES
At least six parties have lodged complaints with the election commission, claiming hundreds of state workers were forced to vote for the pro-military USDP in advance balloting.
"There has been widespread fraud and malpractice committed by the USDP in advance voting across the country," said Khin Maung Swe, leader of the National Democratic Force, the largest pro-democracy party.
"We democratic parties will have to take appropriate action after the elections," he added.
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See All Comments (1) | Post Comment
Nov 06, 2010 9:14pm EDT
First errection in 20 years. What is the point?
Will it be another chaos and suffering now again?
All of it just for international news media freaks…
35 other parties hee heeh…that tells all about it unity ha haheeh
NEWSTIME2010
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