On a patch of rough ground near the Irrawaddy River, aspiring member of parliament and retired Lieutenant-General Tayza Kyaw tries to muster some enthusiasm from his audience with a speech promising them better times.
He is the candidate for the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), backed by Myanmar's military, in Aungmyaythazan, a constituency in the city of Mandalay.
The crowd of 300-400 clutch the branded hats and flags they've been given, but soon wilt in the afternoon heat, some dozing off. Children run and play in between the rows of chairs. Many of these families are victims of the earthquake which badly damaged Mandalay and surrounding areas in March, and are hoping for a handout. They disappear the moment the rally finishes.
On Sunday the people of Myanmar get their first opportunity to vote in an election since the military seized power in a coup nearly five years ago, setting off a devastating civil war. But the poll, already delayed many times by the ruling junta, is being widely condemned as a sham. The most popular party, the National League for Democracy, has been dissolved, and its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is locked up in an undisclosed prison.
Voting, which will happen in three stages over a period of a month, will not even be possible in large parts of the country still consumed by war. Even where voting is taking place, it is marred by a climate of fear and intimidation.
The military authorities imposed a new law in July criminalising any speech, organising, inciting, protesting, or distributing leaflets in order to destroy a part of the electoral process. The atmosphere is one of apprehension, with citizens reluctant to speak openly about the election, fearing repercussions.
The election, they say, will be a mere formality, as the military consolidates its grip on power. Many believe they will vote, but not with our hearts, as one woman put it. For them, participating in the vote is less an act of civic engagement than a reluctant submission to an ongoing authoritarian regime.
He is the candidate for the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), backed by Myanmar's military, in Aungmyaythazan, a constituency in the city of Mandalay.
The crowd of 300-400 clutch the branded hats and flags they've been given, but soon wilt in the afternoon heat, some dozing off. Children run and play in between the rows of chairs. Many of these families are victims of the earthquake which badly damaged Mandalay and surrounding areas in March, and are hoping for a handout. They disappear the moment the rally finishes.
On Sunday the people of Myanmar get their first opportunity to vote in an election since the military seized power in a coup nearly five years ago, setting off a devastating civil war. But the poll, already delayed many times by the ruling junta, is being widely condemned as a sham. The most popular party, the National League for Democracy, has been dissolved, and its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is locked up in an undisclosed prison.
Voting, which will happen in three stages over a period of a month, will not even be possible in large parts of the country still consumed by war. Even where voting is taking place, it is marred by a climate of fear and intimidation.
The military authorities imposed a new law in July criminalising any speech, organising, inciting, protesting, or distributing leaflets in order to destroy a part of the electoral process. The atmosphere is one of apprehension, with citizens reluctant to speak openly about the election, fearing repercussions.
The election, they say, will be a mere formality, as the military consolidates its grip on power. Many believe they will vote, but not with our hearts, as one woman put it. For them, participating in the vote is less an act of civic engagement than a reluctant submission to an ongoing authoritarian regime.
