Irrawaddy-Nov 20
Junta boss Min Aung Hlaing said he promised during his recent visit to China to hold a free and fair election that would be monitored by international observers. Addressing the first meeting of his cabinet on Tuesday since his return from China, Min Aung Hlaing said he told government leaders from China and fellow Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries that he would organize a free and fair election and invite international observers to witness it. The junta chief attended the 8th Greater Mekong Subregion Summit from Nov. 5-10 in Kunming, Yunnan Province on his first visit to China since the 2021 coup. The summit was joined by the prime ministers of Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. Li promised assistance with planning the election and census-taking, he said. He said he had also informed the prime ministers of the four ASEAN countries in attendance about his regime’s preparations for “free and fair elections” and the invitation to international observers to ensure the poll’s transparency. His counterparts spoke in support of the poll plan, he added. The junta boss further stated that the census was more than 63% complete and estimated that it would be fully conducted by the end of the year. He said political parties have been allowed to register for the poll, and that a proportional representation system would be introduced in national and sub-national parliaments to ensure the inclusion of members of ethnic groups and representatives of the various strata of society. Min Aung Hlaing has repeatedly promised a fresh poll since seizing power in a coup in February 2021, citing fraud in the 2020 general election decisively won by the National League for Democracy (NLD). Nearly four years later, the regime has not yet set a date for it. It has however hinted that the poll is likely next year. Although the junta has stated it will invite international observers, democracies including the United States have expressed skepticism about the credibility of any poll organized by the military junta. Critics argue that the junta’s planned election is merely an attempt by the Myanmar military to maintain its grip on power with support from China, India and Russia, but lacks broader domestic and international recognition. Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-junta-boss-says-he-promised-chinese-asean-leaders-to-hold-fair-election.html
