Voting in Myanmar on Sunday - China's keen eye, India is also watching

- Has Aung Suu Kyi's leadership faded?

New Delhi 7th November 2020 Saturday

Evidence that Bharatmitra Aung Suu Kyi's leadership in Myanmar (formerly Burma) is still as it was before has faded will become clear after the parliamentary elections on Sunday.

China also has a keen eye on Myanmar. Myanmar is a Buddhist state. The issue of Rohingya Muslims and Corona was the main issue in this election. In the 2015 elections, the National League of Democracy, led by Suu Kyi, won a landslide victory. But the Rohingya Muslims and the Corona changed circumstances.

Voting for both houses of Myanmar's parliament - the Upper House of Nationalities and the Lower House of Representatives - took place on Sunday. Voting has also taken place in seven states and seven constituencies. A total of 1171 seats will be polled. In Myanmar, both houses of parliament elect the president together and the chief ministers of the seven states are nominated by the president himself.

In Myanmar, the government and the army run the administration together. Many issues are important to the Rohingya Muslims and the Coronas, such as the Buddhist monks and the US military, which is popular among Buddhists. Myanmar's parliamentary elections are of great importance to both India and China. Eighty lakh Rohingya Muslims fled to Bangladesh in 2017 when Myanmar's military began cracking down on militants hiding in Rakhine state. The military action against terrorism had the support of Suu Kyi's government and people.

Currently, Rohingya Muslims live in the Cox's Bazar area, the largest refugee camp in the world. Bangladesh wants Myanmar to accept these Rohingya Muslims back. But the Myanmar government is not ready to take them back.