Can a country facing conflict and COVID move quickly enough to organize a vital election?
Like other nations dealing with armed conflicts, Myanmar faces destabilizing risks from the COVID pandemic. The country’s young democratic transition depends on a general election expected in November, yet the government and civil society are overburdened with the struggle against the coronavirus. Meanwhile, signs are growing that the army is using the COVID emergency to strengthen its influence over government and society. Preparing a fair, inclusive election amid this crisis poses the toughest test in years for Myanmar’s democratic transition—and the process must begin in earnest now.
Volunteers, many wearing face masks due to the coronavirus pandemic, sweep up at the Shwedagon Pagoda, a Buddhist holy site in Yangon, Myanmar, on Tuesday, March 17, 2020. (Minzayar Oo/The New York Times)
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