Low turnout and fear mark day one of Myanmar’s phased general election

Mizzima

Widespread boycotts, missing voter names, and allegations of state coercion characterized the opening phase of Myanmar’s military-led general election on Sunday.

As polling stations opened across 102 designated townships, many citizens reportedly stayed home, citing a total lack of trust in a process they dismissed as a “sham” designed to cement military rule.

Mizzima has learned that while some urban areas saw a trickle of voters, large numbers of families chose to ignore the polls entirely. In interviews conducted across several regions, residents expressed a mix of apathy and defiance.

A former political prisoner in Mandalay said he refused to participate because the parties and leaders the public actually trusts have been excluded from the ballot. He added that he had no faith in the competing parties or the election commission itself, stating that casting a vote would change nothing for the country’s future.

In the commercial capital of Yangon, some residents appeared indifferent, with one local noting that most people in their circle were treating the day like a holiday and traveling rather than heading to the polls. In other areas, the refusal to vote was accidental but welcomed.