Tatmadaw press conference raises concerns

The Tatmadaw (Myanmar army) has acknowledged the possibility of a coup d’etat in light of election result disputes. After months of fraud allegations by opposition political parties, military spokesperson Major General Zaw Min Tun stressed the

UEC says turnout will be high despite pandemic

The Union Election Commission (UEC) believes the pandemic will not seriously harm voter turnout in the November 8th election. Speaking to the The Myanmar Times, UEC spokesperson U Myint Naing said that careful preparations will result in voter turnou

One month out, election takes heat from watchdogs

After a challenging few years on the world stage, a successful general election is critical for Myanmar’s geopolitical image. Yet as the election looms, the process has come under fire from human rights advocates, with Rakhine Muslims, also wid

Wa party to avoid Wa-held townships in election

The Wa National Party (WNP), the largest government-sanctioned ethnic Wa political party, will not contest the four townships that are out of Union government control. WNP spokesperson U Sam Saung Kha told the Myanmar Times that his party would field

Election day set

Myanmar will conduct its general election on November 8th of this year, the Union Election Commission (UEC) announced. More than 37 million people are eligible to vote, it said, and 97 parties are eligible to run candidates. Of those, 79 will contest

Independent ethnic Wa authority will seek to allow voting

The Wa Self-Administered Division, an autonomous zone of the ethnic Wa people, will attempt to work with the Union Government to hold voting in the upcoming election. Last month, officials of the United Wa State Army (UWSA) and the Union Election Com