Volume 6, Issue 13
On the eve of the vote, election commission chair U Hla Thein is at the centre of a political storm, accused of bias and a lack of transparency.
Friends of the Union Election Commission chair describe a passionate democrat, but opposition parties accuse him of bias and observers say a failure to communicate has undermined trust in the commission.
Family members are not allowed a last farewell to COVID-19 victims at Yangon Region’s largest cemetery, where more than 800 confirmed cases have been cremated.
BY Hein Thar
Lost income, transportation shutdowns, quarantine mandates and a general fear of the coronavirus are causing deadly disruptions to cancer patients’ treatment regimes – deaths that will not make the official pandemic statistics.
BY Frontier
The Myanmar Hard Talk Facebook page took advantage of the grey area between outright disinformation and legitimate political commentary to spread a nationalist, pro-military agenda.
With roots in the 1988 uprising against military rule, the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy is seeking to break ethnic barriers – something that’s easier said than done in Myanmar politics.
BY Hein Thar
The Kachin State People’s Party hopes to win a majority of seats in the diverse state by uniting a previously fractured political bloc and targeting young voters.
The government is planning to purchase paddy at a floor price set to ensure farmers get a decent return and some rice traders are also pushing for another round of rice-buying to maintain the country’s reserve stocks.
Hundreds of thousands of workers in the garment sector are relieved to be back at work after enduring a miserable, desperate month in cramped hostels..
The UEC’s decision to suspend voting in large parts of the state will silence Rakhine political voices, but the Arakan Army must take its share.
Cancelled constituencies have grabbed headlines, but conflict and armed groups play a much bigger role in determining the outcome and fairness of elections in Myanmar.
Votes from Mon migrants in Thailand could deliver local wins to the MUP, but many migrants couldn’t register for overseas ballots or risk returning home.
Chin parties are upset at a last-minute change to seat boundaries in a Magway Region township that appears to have dashed their hopes of an election win.
BY Nay Aung
Karen parties hope an agreement not to compete against each other, a shared sense of mission and the support of the Karen National Union will win them more representation in 2020 and beyond.
A number of candidates have been disqualified from the November 8 election late into their campaigns, for reasons that lay bare the contest’s discriminatory citizenship.
BY Swe Lei Mon
Unclear instructions from above, staff and budgetary shortages and the risk posed by the coronavirus have local election officials struggling to organise a safe and orderly vote.
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