UN chief expresses skepticism over fairness of upcoming polls in Myanmar

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed doubt Monday over the fairness of upcoming general elections in Myanmar, stressing the need to provide humanitarian assistance and to stop the violence in the civil-war-ridden country.

"I don't think anybody believes that those elections will be free and fair," Guterres told a news conference in Malaysia on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits.

The junta in Myanmar has announced general elections to be held on Dec. 28 this year, for the first time since the military coup of February 2021.

"I don't think anybody believes those in elections will contribute to the solution of the problems of Myanmar," said Guterres.

"I think this is the moment in which we need to increase humanitarian assistance, to stop the violence, and at the same time to pave the way for a political evolution leading to civilian rule and to respect for a constitutional form of government," he added.

The last general elections in the Buddhist-majority country were held in November 2020. They were won by the National League for Democracy, whose government was overthrown in the February 2021 military coup, plunging the country into more than four years of emergency rule.