Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to retain power in Myanmar’s elections Myanmar

Voters across Myanmar have gone to the polls, which is expected to bring the party back to power Aung San Suu Kyi, Despite allegations of genocide destroying his reputation abroad, he remains very popular at home.

Rows of people, in some cases, waited for hours to cast their ballots on Sunday in the country’s second general election since the end of full military rule. Most people wore masks as a precaution against the corona virus. The country has confirmed more than 60,000 epidemics, most of which have been reported since mid-August.

Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to retain power as the country battles a spiral conflict and faces a corona virus outbreak in the state of Rockhine. Allegations of genocide In the UN High Court.

Five years after the massive victory of his party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), Aung San Suu Kyi retains strong support among the majority, whom she respects as the defender of democracy. During brutal oppression Rohingya Muslims stunned many abroad, no sympathy for their plight at home, and this was not a factor in the election campaigns.

In a Facebook video released on Thursday, Aung San Suu Kyi urged people to go out and cast their ballots. “Every voter writes their own history, the history of this election and the history of our country,” he said.

About 38 million people, including 5 million first-time voters, were eligible to go to the polls.

“I was not at all afraid of contracting Govt-19 disease,” 27-year-old Cain Sar C told Agencies France-Presse, where he voted for the first time in Yangon. “I don’t care if I die for Thai Chow.”

Others, however, accuse Aung San Suu Kyi of failing to deliver on the democratic reforms or promises promised in 2015. Bring peace and harmony.

Voting has been canceled in many minority-dominated areas, demanding more autonomy due to security concerns over fighting between the military and armed groups. It is feared that the decision will leave 1.5 million people without voting, leading to discontent and a fuel conflict.

Analysts point out that voting has stalled Even in areas where fighting is low.

Rohingya Muslims, who have long been denied citizenship, are still without the right to vote. Most are trapped in bad camps in Bangladesh, where they fled a military offensive in 2017. Hundreds of thousands have been detained in camps and villages within Myanmar’s Rakhine state, where Human Rights Watch has reported abuses. And harassment.

On Friday, the UN. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern about the “legal impediments” facing the Rohingya in Myanmar and their inability to vote. “It is important that everyone has a voice and be able to participate in these elections in the most inclusive manner,” he told the UN. Spokesman Stephen Dujarric said.

The government-appointed Electoral Commission has been criticized not only for excluding voters, but also for its lack of transparency, discrimination against Muslim candidates and logistical issues.

In a rare interview last week, General Min Aung Hlung accused the civilian government of “unacceptable mistakes” ahead of the election, and described the military as the “guardian” of the nation. He said he would then accept the voting results.

A quarter of the parliamentary seats that have been ruled in an uncomfortable alliance with the NLD over the past five years are reserved for the military. It is very powerful and has thwarted plans to change the constitution, thus reducing its influence.

About 90 parties are competing with the NLD, although campaigning in some areas has been hampered by the corona virus outbreak. This is often believed to be detrimental to small, racially based parties that do not have access to the state media.

It was feared the epidemic could prevent people from going to the polls, but on Sunday morning investigators recorded a strong turnout.

In Yangon, people have been waiting for two hours to cast their ballots, said Qin Zhao, director of Tambadipa in Yangon. “There is no need to provoke Myanmar voters,” he said, adding that historically, the importance of elections has long been recognized. “Along with half a century of denial of democracy under the military, people know that voting is the best opportunity they have,” he said.

But he added that politicians continue to bring down the public. “There have been waves of reform, but not enough, not in important areas such as land, citizenship and religious freedom. Corruption will always be there, hanging like a tooth.”