Myanmar’s junta carries out long-awaited elections, despite critics’ protests

Almost five years after a military coup and a gruesome civil war, Myanmar’s junta is staging a three-round national election, but only in areas it controls. Although the military hailed the process as a return to democratic norms and stability, the elections are considered neither free nor fair by non-military observers. Experts have also expressed doubt as to whether it will bring stability to the politically fragmented country.