YANGON – Myanmar took a significant step in its political process on Sunday by conducting the second phase of its first general election in five years. This round saw voting extended to additional townships, including regions that have been affected by ongoing civil strife between the military government and opposition forces.

The polling stations opened their doors at 6 a.m. local time across 100 townships nationwide. This included areas within Sagaing, Magway, Mandalay, Bago, and Tanintharyi regions, as well as the Mon, Shan, Kachin, Kayah, and Kayin states. Many of these regions have experienced recent conflicts or remain under tight security, highlighting the security challenges surrounding this electoral process.

The election is being conducted in three stages due to persistent armed conflicts. The initial voting round occurred on December 28 in 102 out of the country’s 330 townships. The current phase unfolded on Sunday, with a concluding round slated for January 25. However, 65 townships will be excluded from voting due to ongoing hostilities.

Myanmar’s national legislature consists of two houses, comprising a total of 664 seats. The political party that secures a majority across both houses can appoint the new president, who will then form a Cabinet and establish a new government. According to the constitution, the military is guaranteed 25% of the seats in each house.

Despite the ongoing election process, critics argue that the military government’s organization of the polls lacks fairness and transparency. They view it as an attempt by the military to legitimize its authority following the ousting of Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government in February 2021.

On Sunday morning, people in Yangon, the country’s largest city, and Mandalay, the second-largest, were casting their ballots at high schools, government buildings and religious buildings.

While more than 4,800 candidates from 57 parties are competing for seats in national and regional legislatures, only six parties are competing nationwide with the possibility of gaining political clout in parliament.

The first phase left the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party, or USDP, in a dominant position, winning nearly 90% of those contested seats in that phase in Pyithu Hluttaw, the lower house of parliament. It also won a majority of seats in regional legislatures.

The military government claimed more than 6 million people — about 52% of the more than 11 million eligible voters in the first phase of elections — cast ballots, calling the turnout a decisive success.

Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s 80-year-old former leader, and her party aren’t participating in the polls. She is serving a 27-year prison term on charges widely viewed as spurious and politically motivated. Her party, the National League for Democracy, was dissolved in 2023 after refusing to register under new military rules.

Other parties also refused to register or declined to run under conditions they deem unfair, while opposition groups have called for a voter boycott.

Tom Andrews, a special rapporteur working with the U.N. human rights office, urged the international community Thursday to reject what he called a “sham election,” saying the first round exposed coercion, violence and political exclusion.

“You cannot have a free, fair or credible election when thousands of political prisoners are behind bars, credible opposition parties have been dissolved, journalists are muzzled, and fundamental freedoms are crushed,” Andrews said.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which keeps detailed tallies of arrests and casualties linked to the nation’s political conflicts, more than 22,000 people are detained for political offenses, and more than 7,600 civilians have been killed by security forces since 2021.

The army’s takeover triggered widespread peaceful protests that soon erupted into armed resistance, and the country slipped into a civil war.

A new Election Protection Law imposes harsh penalties and restrictions for virtually all public criticism of the polls. The authorities have charged more than 330 people under new electoral law for leafleting or online activity over the past few months.

There were no reports of major interference with the polls on Sunday morning, though opposition organizations and armed resistance groups had vowed to disrupt the electoral process. During the first phase, attacks were reported in 11 of the 102 townships holding polls, according to the military government.