Weak turnout seen in Myanmar's phased election

Under the shadow of civil war and questions over the poll's credibility, the initial round of Myanmar's phased general election closed on Sunday, with signs of low voter turnout for the first polls since a military coup in 2021. The junta, having crushed pro-democracy protests ‌after the coup and sparked a nationwide rebellion, said the vote would bring political stability to the impoverished Southeast Asian nation, despite international condemnation of the exercise. Armed groups formed in the wake of the coup and long-established ethnic armies are fighting the military across swathes of the country, displacing some 3.6 million people and creating one of Asia's worst humanitarian crises.