[arista]

[Polls close in Myanmar as military holds
first election since 2021 coup]


[The first of three phases of voting has finished
in Myanmar, in an election widely dismissed
as a "sham", with major political parties dissolved,
leaders jailed and as much
as half the country not expected to vote due
to an ongoing civil war.

The military government is holding
a phased ballot nearly five years after
it seized power in a coup,
prompting widespread opposition and
spiralling into civil war.

Observers say the junta, with China's support,
is seeking to legitimise its power as it seeks
a way out of the devastating stalemate.

More than 200 people have been charged
for disrupting or opposing the polls under
a new law which carries severe punishments,
including the death penalty.

There were reports of explosions and air strikes across
multiple regions as the first round
of voting took place on Sunday.
A rocket attack on an uninhabited house
in the Mandalay region in the early hours
of the morning injured three people,
the region's chief minister told the BBC.
Separately, a series of explosions damaged
more than 10 houses in the Myawaddy township,
near the border with Thailand, late on Saturday.
A resident told the BBC that a child was killed
and three others were taken to hospital.]

Voters have told the BBC that the election feels
more "disciplined and systematic" than previous polls.]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy7vly6gm76o