Myanmar Junta Holds Controlled Polls Amid Civil War, Critics Decry Sham Vote

• Myanmar's military junta is conducting heavily restricted, phased polls five years after its coup, claiming a return to democracy amidst ongoing civil war.
• Former leader Aung San Suu Kyi remains jailed, and her popular party has been dissolved and is not participating in the vote.
• Campaigners, Western diplomats, and the UN's rights chief have condemned the elections, citing military influence and a severe crackdown on dissent.
• The pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party is widely expected to win, with critics calling it a rebranding of martial rule.
• Voter turnout is low, and voting is not occurring in rebel-held areas, while pro-democracy forces vow to continue their fight against the junta.

Why It Matters: Myanmar's junta holds controversial polls, widely criticized as illegitimate, while civil war rages and dissent is suppressed.