All Reports
On 7 November 2010, Burma's military generals held the country's first elections in 20 years. Unfortunately, instead of allowing for the development of genuine political dialogue, the regime dominated, restricted and manipulated the election campaign period. Based on the reports that we have collected prior to election day, on the day of the elections, and in the post-election period, the elections have proven to be a completely flawed process that exploited the widespread climate of fear in Burma to retain military rule.
Not the Will of the People - These elections did not provide a basis for the people of Burma to express their will. Many areas of the country did not have voting at all. Many candidates who are not allied with the regime were not allowed to stand or did not find an open political environment in which they could reasonably contest the elections. Voters complained that their votes were manipulated, while others declared that they refused to vote as they believed the elections would not reflect the will of the people.
Violence and Intimidation - The elections were marred by extensive violence and intimidation, significantly curtailing the ability of citizens to exercise a free vote. An explosion of violence occurred in ethnic areas the day of the elections, highlighting continued resistance to the regime and its uninclusive electoral process.
Control of Campaigns and Information - Significant interference with opposition campaigns and extensive control of information by the regime denied candidates the ability to fairly compete and prevented citizens from accessing the information that they needed to cast a vote.
Abuse of Government Power – The regime abused its authority and resources to lend political advantages for its proxy parties, going so far as to deny government services to those not voting for regime backed candidates.
Widespread Fraud - Even given extensive manipulation of the election environment, the military and its agents still perpetrated extensive electoral fraud prior to elections and on the day of polls to ensure military dominance in the incoming government.
The reports that we have gathered demonstrate that these elections were deeply flawed, and were fundamentally illegitimate, unfree, unfair and undemocratic; further, they highlight how the regime manipulated the deeply entrenched sense of fear in Burma to ensure compliance with their electoral process. Burma Election Tracker provides information about the military elections based on credible reports and accounts from within Burma. Because of the extreme difficulty of collecting information in Burma, we recognize that these reports represent a small portion of similar violations, fraud and atrocities. To ensure the security of our sources and reporters, incident reports not received from the media have been plotted by state or division, or by township if it is a highly populated city.
Not the Will of the People - These elections did not provide a basis for the people of Burma to express their will. Many areas of the country did not have voting at all. Many candidates who are not allied with the regime were not allowed to stand or did not find an open political environment in which they could reasonably contest the elections. Voters complained that their votes were manipulated, while others declared that they refused to vote as they believed the elections would not reflect the will of the people.
Violence and Intimidation - The elections were marred by extensive violence and intimidation, significantly curtailing the ability of citizens to exercise a free vote. An explosion of violence occurred in ethnic areas the day of the elections, highlighting continued resistance to the regime and its uninclusive electoral process.
Control of Campaigns and Information - Significant interference with opposition campaigns and extensive control of information by the regime denied candidates the ability to fairly compete and prevented citizens from accessing the information that they needed to cast a vote.
Abuse of Government Power – The regime abused its authority and resources to lend political advantages for its proxy parties, going so far as to deny government services to those not voting for regime backed candidates.
Widespread Fraud - Even given extensive manipulation of the election environment, the military and its agents still perpetrated extensive electoral fraud prior to elections and on the day of polls to ensure military dominance in the incoming government.
The reports that we have gathered demonstrate that these elections were deeply flawed, and were fundamentally illegitimate, unfree, unfair and undemocratic; further, they highlight how the regime manipulated the deeply entrenched sense of fear in Burma to ensure compliance with their electoral process. Burma Election Tracker provides information about the military elections based on credible reports and accounts from within Burma. Because of the extreme difficulty of collecting information in Burma, we recognize that these reports represent a small portion of similar violations, fraud and atrocities. To ensure the security of our sources and reporters, incident reports not received from the media have been plotted by state or division, or by township if it is a highly populated city.
Latest Blogs
Fraudulent Elections Undermine Citizen’s Electoral Rights
By Burma Partnership
18 January 2011
"There was intimidation and forced voting. People in the villages also said they were given presents and mone read more
Elections Marred By Regime’s Campaign Restrictions, Harassment and Lack of Voter Education
By Burma Partnership
20 December 2010
"In my region, many people were not interested in the elections, and didn't know anything about the election read more
Abuses of Government Authority During Elections Highlight Un-Rule of Law in Burma
By Burma Partnership
2 December 2010
"Although we don’t like the USDP, all the villagers including me voted for the USDP since we were ordered b read more