The political situation in Myanmar

Myanmar goes to the polls – but the election is ruled a sham

On Sunday, Myanmar will hold its first election since the military coup almost five years ago. The election has been ruled an attempt to give legitimacy to the ruling military junta.

When the country last went to the polls in 2020, it was a landslide victory for Aung San Suu Kyi's party NLD. She was ousted a few months later and is now in prison.

In the 2020 election, 73 percent of voters voted for parties that no longer exist, writes the AP news agency. Nothing other than a landslide victory for the military-backed USDP is therefore to be expected.

- The military does not know how to govern our country. It only works for itself, voter Ral Uk Thang tells the BBC.

Analysis: China dictates what happens in Myanmar

Neither the people of Myanmar nor even the military junta have power over the country's destiny. Behind the scenes, China is dictating the terms, writes The Guardian in an analysis on the occasion of Sunday's election.

During the past five years of military rule, China has sold weapons to both the junta and Burmese rebel groups. The aim has been to try to create calm in the country so that China's infrastructure projects, part of the New Silk Road, can be built as quickly as possible.

"China opposed the coup because it led to instability - but it also feared worse chaos if the junta fell," writes the newspaper.

However, it is unlikely that Sunday's election will lead to calm in the country, writes Reuters in an analysis.

"The civil war is still ongoing and a military-backed government with a civilian facade is unlikely to gain many supporters in the outside world."