Myanmar Junta’s Shift From Battlefield To Ballots Faces Long Odds

From inside a military base last week, Myanmar’s junta chief Min Aung Hlaing announced who he wanted voters to pick in Sunday’s general election, nearly five years after seizing power in a coup. “He suggested that during the upcoming election period, voters should choose candidates who can cooperate with the Tatmadaw,” state-run media reported, referring to Myanmar’s powerful armed forces. The comments underline the junta’s attempts to hold on to power as it uses ballots to do what it couldn’t on the battlefield – cement its control over the country in the face of fierce armed resistance that has emerged…