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Posted on November 6, 2010 | tags

 
 

World: Myanmar (a.k.a. Burma) having (possibly democratic) elections

  • 29
    million
    number of people who will be able to vote in tomorrow’s elections in Burma (also known as Myanmar)
  • 1.5
    million
    number of those people who won’t be able to because it’s too dangerous for voting to take place
  • 50 number of years that Burma has been under depressing military rule
  • 20 number of years since the country had any sort of election (sham or not)
  • 3,000 candidates are vying for a seat in Sunday’s election source
  • » Critics say it’s a sham: Well, let’s see. Foreign journalists won’t be allowed in the country during tomorrow’s elections. Nor will independent observers. And the leader of the opposition party, Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, is currently under house arrest and largely has been since the last election. Wonder what makes them think that this election is a sham.