Myanmar polls open in 1st election since junta coup in 2021
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Under the shadow of civil war and questions over the poll's credibility, the initial round of Myanmar's phased general election closed on Sunday, with signs of low voter turnout for the first polls since a military coup in 2021.
Myanmar's military rulers are holding a general election in phases starting Dec. 28 amid the country's civil war. The head of the U.N. says the vote will be anything but free and fair.
A coup set off a brutal civil war and made a poor country poorer. Now its military rulers are seeking a veneer of legitimacy by holding elections.
From inside a military base last week, Myanmar's junta chief Min Aung Hlaing announced who he wanted voters to pick in Sunday's general election, nearly five years after seizing power in a coup.