British Parliamentarians Condemn Sham Burma Elections

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Democracy in Burma today condemned elections held in Burma on 7th November as a total sham, and called for increased international pressure to force Burma’s dictatorship to the negotiating table.

The elections held in Burma on 7th November were the first in 20 years. At the last election, despite severe restrictions on political parties, voting on the day was surprisingly free and fair, and Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won 82 percent of seats in parliament. The Generals refused to hand over power.

During these elections the Generals left nothing to chance, with even stricter restrictions on parties, rigged voting even before election day, and a new constitution guaranteeing continued dictatorship regardless of the outcome of the election.

“These elections were a total disgrace, and the outcome was illegitimate,” said Baroness Kinnock, Chair of the All-Party Group for Democracy in Burma. “The main opposition party has been banned, and 413 of its members are in jail, including MPs elected 20 years ago. Imagine if more than 400 leaders of a British opposition political party were jailed before an election, or if the government had the right to approve the leaflets of opposition parties. We should have no truck with this nonsense, and instead look at ways to increase pressure on the generals to negotiate real change with Aung San Suu Kyi.”

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