backed party has stripped Myanmar's election of any veneer of legitimacy and leaves the routed opposition with no more than a “whisper” in parliament, observers say. Although Sunday's poll had already been widely criticized, with the odds heavily stacked in favor of the military's proxies, some democracy activists had taken part in the hope that they would finally gain a political voice. That cautious optimism was dashed after the army-backed United Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) claimed Tuesday it had swept about 80 percent of the seats on offer amid widespread accusations of intimidation and voter fraud. “It comes across as bare-faced, extraordinary,” said an international observer in Yangon who did not want to be named. “It will strip away any legitimacy for this process at all.” Opposition parties have urged authorities to act against “cheating”, complaining about widespread reports of irregularities, particularly with advance ballots. But few expect any serious investigation into complaints over the poll, which appeared to go according to plan for the iron-fisted junta. “The regime does not want anyone to come into its power-house. That's it,” said Maung Zarni, a Myanmar research fellow at the London School of Economics. “It's very North Korean style.” Even the National Unity Party, which also has close links to the military and fielded almost 1,000 candidates, appeared to have been routed, despite earlier speculation it could benefit from protest votes against junta proxies. The USDP's overwhelming victory was a bitter blow for the opposition parties who gambled their reputations in the hope of making at least a small step towards democracy, after nearly five decades of autocratic rule. In doing so, they broke away from the now-disbanded National League for Democracy (NLD), led by detained democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, which opted to boycott the poll -- a decision that deeply split the opposition. The optimists who contested for a decent foothold in parliament have now had their hopes dashed: with a quarter of the legislature already reserved for the army, the military and its proxies look set to hold about 85 percent of seats. Such a majority would easily enable them to pass legislation and pick the president, who will in turn appoint the cabinet ministers, chief justice and Supreme Court judges. The international observer said the pro-democracy hopefuls had been “kicked in the teeth” by the apparent result. “It means a voice in parliament becomes a whisper from the darkest recess of the chamber,” he said. The United States, Europe and Japan denounced the vote as anything but free and fair, but Myanmar's regional ally China and its Southeast Asian neighbors welcomed the poll as a step towards democracy. The few opposition candidates who have succeeded now face the tough decision of whether to enter an internationally derided parliament where they will have scant influence. – Agence France
