One week after first Burma elections in the last 20 years, analysts confirm that it finally happened what it was expected: the military junta was to manipulate the entire process until the very polling day and the military-backed party, to obtain an overwhelming majority of seats in Parliament. Elections have been considered a farce as the main opposition party remained banned the National League for Democracy of Aung San Suu Kyi, who was released last weekend from home arrest. Many parties representing minority peoples refrained from running elections as a protest.

However, the Burmese military junta allowed 22 minority peoples' parties to run elections. In spite of this positive move, the government then decided to cancel the polls in 23,800 municipalities that are populated by minority peoples. The most affected areas are the territories of the Karen, Shan, Karenni and Katxin peoples. All these voters, who amount to one and a half million people, as well as most of the refugees and displaced people, were dispossessed from their right to vote.

First results show that "ethnic" parties running for elections have not won options to exercise any political influence. To start with, 25% of parliamentary seats are reserved for the military junta. As for the rest, Associated Press (AP) reports that the political party representing the military government (USDP) has been allotted 190 seats out of the 219 seats of the lower house. Democratic and "ethnic" parties have only been left with the remaining seats.

Boycott of many organizations

Anticipating the results, many minority parties decided to boycott the elections a few months ago. These included the Karen National Union, a party which considers the elections a "cosmetic change" to continue "oppressing and violating the human rights of ethnic nationalities." The Arakan Rohingya National Organization accuses the dictatorship of violating "human rights, democracy and federal principles of equality" and declared that "the people of Burma will continue to suffer persecution."

It is estimated that between 30% and 40% of the Burmese population belongs to a minoritised or minority people. The largest indigenous peoples are the Shan and the Karen. Both have military active guerrillas operating along the border with Thailand fighting the dictatorship. In the last free elections held in 1990, a Shan party was Burma's second most voted political force after Suu Kyi's party.

Further information:

• The Irrawaddy: Ethnic Groups Don't Expect Much from the Election
• BBC: Bleak outlook for Burma's ethnic groups
• Monitoring of elections at Mizzima and Democatic Voice of Burma