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Myanmar Junta Plans Polls With Tough Rules for Political Parties

  • Existing parties to be dissolved if they fail to re-register
  • New rules could block deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s party
A demonstrator holds up an image of Aung San Suu Kyi during a protest outside the Embassy of Myanmar in Bangkok in 2021.
A demonstrator holds up an image of Aung San Suu Kyi during a protest outside the Embassy of Myanmar in Bangkok in 2021.Photographer: Andre Malerba/Bloomberg
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Myanmar’s military government took an early step toward holding parliamentary elections, but it did so by imposing strict rules on political parties that may make fair balloting difficult.

The country has been under sanctions, including by the US and EU, since the coup in 2021 that toppled the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. Seeking to ease international pressure, coup leader Min Aung Hlaing had previously said parliamentary elections would likely be held by August this year.