UN warns Myanmar’s planned elections will deepen repression, instability

Geneva: Myanmar s planned late December elections are unfolding in what UN rights officials describe as an atmosphere of fear, violence and deep polit...

Geneva: Myanmar's planned late-December elections are unfolding in what UN rights officials describe as an atmosphere of fear, violence and deep political repression, with thousands detained and major parties excluded in a process that risks entrenching instability rather than restoring democracy.

Spokesperson for the UN human rights office, (OHCHR), Jeremy Laurence told reporters in Geneva that voting is expected to begin on 28 December, in what he described as a military-controlled ballot conducted in an environment "rife with threats and violence" and actively suppressed political participation.

Many major political parties have been excluded and more than 30,000 political opponents - including members of the democratically elected government and political representatives - have been detained since the 2021 coup, he added.

Rodhafer added that the UN is investigating claims by displaced people that the military ordered them to return to their villages to vote, noting that the military claimed to have granted amnesty to some 4,000 opposition members who had been accused or convicted of sedition and incitement.

For his part, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk said that the election process in Myanmar would entrench insecurity, fear, and polarization throughout the country, stressing that ending the violence and ensuring the flow of humanitarian aid must be the top priority.