BBC News Polls close on first day of Myanmar’s widely criticised ‘sham’ election | BBC News

The first of three phases of voting has finished in Myanmar in an election widely dismissed as a “sham”.

Major political parties have been dissolved, leaders jailed and as much as half the country are not expected to vote due to an ongoing civil war.

The military government is holding the ballot nearly five years after it seized power in a coup, prompting widespread opposition and spiralling into civil war.

More than 200 people have been charged for disrupting or opposing the polls under a new law which carries severe punishments, including the death penalty.

There were reports of explosions and airstrikes across multiple regions as the first round of voting took place on Sunday.

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