Myanmar held its first election in 20 years on Sunday. Critics say it was aimed at "creating a facade of democracy." Election workers for the Union for Solidarity and Development (USD) party, which is mainly backed by the governing junta of mostly ex-military members, went to the countryside to campaign for their party. Many people in the rural areas do not know how to vote and are being directed by the USD. One woman stated, "I don't know anything about the election. If someone tells me what to vote, I will follow that guideline." This is significant in that most of the population lives rural areas. Opposition parties such as the National Democratic Force (NDF) are complaining that a lack of money is keeping them from campaigning in much of the country. One man said that he did not think that the outcome of the election would matter because the government does not care about the poor. Myanmar has been under military control since 1962 and critics believe the election is a sham. The National League for Democracy (NLD) Party will not be participating in the election because a new law forced the NLD to choose between ejecting Aung San Suu Kyi (leading democracy activist) from the party or risking the party being declared illegal. The NLD party leader Suu Kyi won the election in 1990 but the military junta rejected the results.
Submitted By: Erin Burneson
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/11/06/myanmar.elections/index.html?hpt=T2
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