Myanmar to hold first parliamentary election since military coup

Parliamentary elections will take place in Myanmar on Sunday for the first time since the military coup in the South-East Asian country almost five years ago.

The ruling junta announced the polls at the end of July and also declared an end to the state of emergency. The first phase of this takes place on Sunday, with two more to follow next month.

It is still unclear when the results of voting will be announced, but it is expected to be at the end of January.

However, in the run-up to the polls, international observers and human rights organizations have already described them as a farce.According to Human Rights Watch, the election serves only to legitimize the generals' power.

Voting will take place largely in constituencies held by the junta.Resistance groups and rebels are now estimated to control more than50% of the country.

The military imposed the state of emergency after ousting the country's democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup on February 1, 2021.

The junta then postponed the promised elections, citing the violence in the country.

Since the coup, Myanmar has been plunged into chaos, with the military authorities suppressing resistance with force.

Now almost completely isolated internationally, the country has also suffered multiple natural disasters, including an earthquake in late March that killed thousands of people.