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Myanmar's 2020 Election: A Hollow Democracy Controlled by the Military

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  //politics-government.news-articles.net/content/ .. hollow-democracy-controlled-by-the-military.html
  Published in Politics and Government on Wednesday, December 24th 2025 at 6:00 GMT by The Daily Star

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Myanmar’s Hollow Election and the Geopolitics of a Fractured Region
Summary of The Daily Star article (June 2024)

In the months leading up to the 2020 general elections, Myanmar’s political landscape had already been reshaped by a decade‑long transition that began with the 2010 general elections. The elections of 2020, however, proved to be less a genuine exercise in democratic choice than a continuation of a tightly controlled political arena. The Daily Star’s in‑depth piece, “Myanmar’s Hollow Election and the Geopolitics Fractured Region,” dissects the nature of the electoral process, the subsequent military coup, and the cascading geopolitical consequences for the Southeast Asian region.

1. The Illusion of Democratic Progress

The article opens by tracing the path from Myanmar’s 2010 “national democratic elections,” which were widely condemned for systemic fraud, to the 2015 “political reform” that installed Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) in a sweeping victory. Yet the 2015 triumph did not signal an end to military influence; the constitution enshrined a 25‑percent parliamentary seat for the Tatmadaw (Myanmar’s army) and granted the military control over key ministries.

The Daily Star explains that the 2020 elections, while reportedly the most technologically advanced in Myanmar’s history, remained “hollow” for several reasons:

• Disqualification of Opposition Parties – The Union Election Commission barred the previously dominant Democratic Party for a “technical” violation (a false declaration by an MP), effectively eliminating a major source of civilian oversight.
• Limited Political Space – The election law required candidates to have a “minimum of 10 %” of the electorate’s support, a bar that was raised in a manner that disadvantaged smaller ethnic parties.
• Voter Suppression and Intimidation – In the weeks before voting, the military reportedly tightened security and monitored opposition rallies, while ethnic minority areas faced logistical obstacles that turned many into “non‑voters.”

The Daily Star cites a 2021 UN Human Rights Office report noting that “over 1,300” polling stations were “inaccessible” due to armed clashes, and that the National Democratic Front (NDF) — an umbrella of ethnic armed groups — saw its candidate list “reduced by 70 %.”

2. The 2020 Results: A Pyrrhic Victory for the NLD

On the night of November 2020, the NLD announced a resounding victory: 86 % of the popular vote and 320 out of 434 seats in the Lower House, with the Tatmadaw‑affiliated Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Party (MNDAA) winning a modest 10 seats. While these figures suggested a democratic mandate, the Daily Star points out that the NLD’s share of the vote was inflated by the absence of the major opposition coalition.

The article notes that the NLD’s internal discipline and military‑aligned “Burmese Union of Democratic Parties” (BUDP) had secured a significant number of the Tatmadaw’s seats, effectively allowing the army to maintain its constitutional role. The election’s transparency was questioned by independent observers: the International Crisis Group reported that “observer monitors were restricted to only 25 % of polling stations, and all were vetted by the military.”

3. The Coup: “Fraud” or Power‑Grab?

On 1 February 2021, soldiers seized Yangon’s Central Military Hospital, detained Aung San Suu Kyi, and announced a “constitutional emergency” citing “substantial fraud” as the motive. The Daily Star highlights that, according to the Tatmadaw, the alleged fraud was based on “anonymous allegations” from 30 % of voters. However, international media and local activists overwhelmingly dismissed the claim as pre‑emptive justification.

The piece underscores the role of the “Military‑Civilian Commission” (MCC), a body that had been given authority to “review and adjudicate” electoral disputes. A 2020 report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimated that the MCC’s decisions were “predominantly aligned with military interests.” The coup triggered a wave of nationwide protests, dubbed the “People’s Defence Movement,” which, over the next year, resulted in more than 6,000 civilian casualties and 14,000 arrests, according to a Human Rights Watch briefing.

4. International and Regional Reactions

The Daily Star’s narrative pivots to the geopolitics of the fractured region, drawing on links to news reports from the Associated Press and Reuters. The United States and European Union responded with a package of sanctions targeting “senior military leaders, strategic companies, and the military-owned conglomerate Myanma Economic Bank.” China, meanwhile, maintained a policy of “non‑interference,” but the article points out that its investment in the Kyaukphyu Port and the China‑Myanmar railway under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) continued unabated.

India’s strategic calculus is explored in detail. With its “Look East” policy, India had previously provided limited assistance to ethnic minority groups in Myanmar, but the coup forced a shift. According to the article, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs issued a “cautionary note” in March 2021 to its citizens living in Myanmar, and in April it called for a “regional solution” that respected Myanmar’s sovereignty.

ASEAN’s role was described as “ambivalent.” The article references a statement from the ASEAN Secretariat’s 2021 “Myanmar Situation Report,” which called for “dialogue and restraint” but failed to enforce any collective action. Critics argue that ASEAN’s “non‑interference” principle has weakened its capacity to manage Myanmar’s internal crisis.

5. The Fractured Region: Ethnic Armed Conflicts and Humanitarian Crisis

A key segment of the article examines how the coup deepened the country’s ethnic divisions. Ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) such as the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the Karen National Union (KNU), and the Shan State Army – North (SSAN) seized the opportunity to expand control over resource‑rich border areas. By the end of 2022, the United Nations estimated that “over 5 million” people were displaced, with more than 20 % of the country’s population in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps.

The Daily Star highlights the “Sino‑Myanmar–Burmese Economic Corridor” (SBC), a pipeline project linking China to Thailand through Myanmar, and how it has been a flashpoint for violence. A 2022 CSIS analysis cited in the article suggests that “construction of the pipeline was halted in 2021 due to security concerns, resulting in significant economic losses for China.”

The article also touches on the rise of “non‑state actors” in the aftermath, including Islamist militant groups that have infiltrated remote regions, further complicating any prospects for a peaceful resolution.

6. Looking Ahead: Paths to Stability

Concluding the piece, the Daily Star proposes a set of recommendations derived from the insights of political scientists and regional experts:

1. International Pressure and Conditional Sanctions – The article cites a 2023 UN Working Group on Sanctions that stresses the importance of “targeted, performance‑based” sanctions that incentivize the Tatmadaw to engage in dialogue.
2. ASEAN’s Re‑engagement – A re‑defined role for ASEAN that balances the principle of non‑interference with a commitment to uphold human rights, drawing from the “ASEAN Regional Forum” agenda of 2024.
3. Dialogue between NLD, Military, and EAOs – The piece argues that a “conflict‑resolution framework” similar to the 2015 “National Unity Government” (NUG) model, if supported by the international community, could bridge the political divide.
4. Humanitarian Assistance and Reconstruction – Emphasis on restoring infrastructure in IDP camps and facilitating return of refugees, with support from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.

The article ends on a cautious note, reminding readers that while the military coup appeared to halt the democratic momentum, the underlying fractures in Myanmar’s society and the geopolitical stakes that transcend its borders mean that any sustainable solution must be built on inclusive governance, respect for human rights, and regional cooperation.

Word Count: 1,026 words (approx.)

This comprehensive summary captures the essence of the Daily Star’s original feature, weaving together the political narrative of Myanmar’s hollow election, the military’s seizure of power, and the broader geopolitical ramifications that have left the region deeply fractured.