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Myanmar votes as military holds first election since 2021 coup
Polls have opened in Myanmar’s first general election since the country’s military toppled Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government in a 2021 coup.
The heavily restricted election on Sunday is taking place in about a third of the Southeast Asian nation’s 330 townships, with large areas inaccessible amid a raging civil war between the military and an array of opposition forces.
Following the initial phase, two rounds of voting will be held on January 11 and January 25, while voting has been cancelled in 65 townships altogether.
“This means that at least 20 percent of the country is disenfranchised at this stage,” said Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng, reporting from Myanmar’s largest city, Yangon. “The big question is going to be here in the cities, what is the turnout going to be like?”
In Yangon, polling stations opened at 6am on Sunday (23:30 GMT, Saturday), and once the sun was up, “we’ve seen a relatively regular flow of voters come in,” said Cheng.
“But the voters are generally middle aged, and we haven’t seen many young people. When you look at the ballot, there are only few choices. The vast majority of those choices are military parties,” he said.
The election has been derided by critics – including the United Nations, some Western countries and human rights groups – as an exercise that is not free, fair or credible, with anti-military political parties not competing.
Aung San Suu Kyi, who was deposed by the military months after her National League for Democracy (NLD) won the last general election by a landslide in 2020, remains in detention, and her party has been dissolved.
The pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) is widely expected to emerge as the largest party.
The military, which has governed Myanmar since 2021, said the vote is a chance for a new start, politically and economically, for the nation of 55 million people, with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing consistently framing the polls as a path to reconciliation.
Dressed in civilian clothes, the military chief cast his ballot shortly after polling stations opened in Naypyidaw, the country’s capital. He then held up an ink-soaked figure and smiled widely.
Voters must dip a finger into indelible ink after casting a ballot to ensure they do not vote more than once.
He told reporters afterwards that the elections are free and fair, and the vote was not tarnished because it is being held by the military.
The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar, in an opinion piece on Sunday, said the poll would open a new chapter and “serve as bridge for the people of Myanmar to reach a prosperous future”.
Earlier, it reported that election observers from Russia, China, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Cambodia, Vietnam, Nicaragua and India have flown into the country ahead of the polls.
But with fighting still raging in many areas of the country, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, Tom Andrews called on the international community to reject the military-run poll.
“An election organised by a junta that continues to bomb civilians, jail political leaders and criminalise all forms of dissent is not an election – it is a theatre of the absurd performed at gunpoint,” Andrews said in a statement.
“This is not a pathway out of Myanmar’s crisis. It is a ploy that will perpetuate repression, division and conflict,” he said.
The civil war, which was triggered by the 2021 coup, has killed an estimated 90,000 people, displaced 3.5 million and left some 22 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, more than 22,000 people are currently detained for political offences.
In downtown Yangon, stations were cordoned off overnight, with security staff posted outside, while armed officers guarded traffic intersections. Election officials set up equipment and installed electronic voting machines, which are being used for the first time in Myanmar.
The machines will not allow write-in candidates or spoiled ballots.
Among a trickle of early voters in the city was 45-year-old Swe Maw, who dismissed international criticism.
“It’s not an important matter,” he told the AFP news agency. “There are always people who like and dislike.”
In the central Mandalay region, 40-year-old Moe Moe Myint said it was “impossible for this election to be free and fair”.
“How can we support a junta-run election when this military has destroyed our lives?” she told AFP. “We are homeless, hiding in jungles, and living between life and death,” she added.
The second round of polling will take place in two weeks’ time, before the third and final round on January 25.
Dates for counting votes and announcing election results have not been declared.
Analysts say the military’s attempt to establish a stable administration in the midst of an expansive conflict is fraught with risk, and that significant international recognition is unlikely for any military-controlled government.
“The outcome is hardly in doubt: a resounding USDP victory and a continuation of army rule with a thin civilian veneer,” wrote Richard Horsey, an analyst at the International Crisis Group in a briefing earlier this month.
“But it will in no way ease Myanmar’s political crisis or weaken the resolve of a determined armed resistance. Instead, it will likely harden political divisions and prolong Myanmar’s state failure. The new administration, which will take power in April 2026, will have few better options, little credibility and likely no feasible strategy for moving the country in a positive direction,” he added.
[Aljazeera]
The Pakistan Navy Ship (PNS) TAIMUR and ASLAT arrived at the Port of Colombo on a goodwill visit on 12 Apr 26.
The visiting ships were welcomed by the Sri Lanka Navy in
compliance with naval traditions.
The duo of ships is commanded by Captain NIAMAT SAEED KHAN (PNS TAIMUR) and Captain NADIR MATEEN AFRIDI (PNS ASLAT).
Meanwhile, the ships are expected to conduct a Bilateral Naval Exercise LION STAR V with the Sri Lanka Navy in Colombo seas.
Sanju Samson’s first century for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) set up the team’s first win in IPL 2026 and their first win at home after six successive defeats, stretching back to the previous season.
Samson flew out of the blocks in the powerplay, scoring 45 of CSK’s 61 runs, in the first six overs. He had over 32,000 fans whistling at Chepauk when he reached his half-century off 26 balls. He had those fans whistling louder and chanting his name when he converted it into a 52-ball century.
A fifty from Ayush Mhatre, before he was retired out, and a cameo from Shivam Dube took CSK up to 212 for 2. That total, however, appeared smaller when DC’s openers Pathum Nissanka and KL Rahul blazed past fifty in the fourth over of their chase. CSK then struck thrice in the next three overs to send the chase spiralling out of DC’s control.
Though Tristan Stubbs battled with 60 off 38 balls, the mounting asking rate was too much to overcome. Jamie Overton’s 4 for 18, which included the prized scalp of Stubbs, was central to CSK’s successful defence.
After CSK were asked to bat first, Samson scythed the second ball he faced from debutant Auqib Nabi for four. He never let his attacking intent or enterprise let up in the powerplay, crashing a total of nine fours in 19 balls in the powerplay. In stark contrast, Ruturaj Gaikwad managed to find the boundary just once in 17 balls during this phase.
Gaikwad’s first-15-ball strike rate of 104.54 in four innings this season is the lowest among 20 batters who have opened at least twice.
When Gaikwad was itching to break free after the powerplay, Axar Patel darted one into the red-soil pitch and cramped the batter on the pull, having him splice a catch to deep midwicket for 15 off 18 balls.
Lungi Ngidi’s slower ball, which he developed during his time at CSK under Dwayne Bravo, has made a number of batters look silly in this IPL and the T20 World Cup prior to it. But when Ngidi pulled out the variation for the first time on Saturday, Samson picked it, held his shape for long enough and flayed it away past sweeper cover. When Ngidi responded with an on-pace short ball outside off, Samson opened the face of the bat and dinked it between the keeper and short third for four more.
But it wasn’t until the 11th over that he hit a six, which was also CSK’s first six on the day. When T Natarajan missed a yorker and bowled a full-toss, Samson slugged him high and far over midwicket. In all, Samson took the left-arm seamer for 33 off 13 balls. It also included the edged four that brought him his hundred in the 18th over.
This was Samson’s fourth ton in the IPL. Only Virat Kohli (8), Jos Buttler (7), Chris Gayle (6) and KL Rahul (5) have hit more hundreds than Samson in the league. DC could’ve cut Samson’s knock short on 52 had Nissanka not dropped a catch at long-off.
Mhatre raised his fifty off 27 balls, but was retired out after he managed only eight off his last nine balls. Samson and Dube then combined to push CSK past 210.
The presence of three right-handers in DC’s top three encouraged CSK to bring in left-arm fingerspinner Akeal Hosein as their Impact Player. Hosein, though, showed signs of early nerves, bowling two front-foot no-balls in the first over of the chase. One of the resultant free hits was swiped over midwicket for four by Nissanka. Hosein ended up conceding 20 runs in his two powerplay overs and didn’t return to bowl.
Nissanka also lined up left-arm seamer Khaleel Ahmed for a pair of fours and a six in the second over. Rahul moved to 18 off 10 balls before Khaleel stopped him in his tracks with a short ball into the pitch. Despite that, DC scored 61 in their first five overs.
At the start of the final over of the powerplay, Anshul Kamboj had Nissanka glancing the ball to Khaleel at short fine leg, but he shelled the chance. It didn’t cost CSK anything as Kamboj had Nissanka chipping it to mid-on, where Dewald Brevis, who had recovered from a side injury, held onto the catch.
Left-arm quick Gurjapneet Singh then marked his IPL debut with a first-ball wicket. He darted one short and wide, having Axar slicing it to point, where Sarfaraz Khan dived to his right and plucked the ball out of thin air.
Overton then hit a hard length and had Sameer Rizvi holing out to deep midwicket for 6 off 19 balls. Overton kept hitting a hard length and made life harder for DC’s middle order.
Stubbs then mounted a late fightback with a half-century and narrowed the equation to 32 off 12 balls. Overton, though, cranked it up to nearly 145kph and had him splicing a catch to mid-off in the penultimate over. Kamboj then finished off DC in the final over, sending a packed weekend crowd into raptures.
Brief scores:
Chennai Super Kings 212 for 2 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 115*, Rutraj Gaikwad 15, Ayush Mhatre 59 retired out, S hivam Dube 20*; Axar Patel 1-39) beat Delhi Capitals 189 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 41, KL Rahul 18, David Miller 17, Tristan Stubbs 60, Ashutosh Sharma 19; Khaleel Ahmed 1-40, Jamie Overton 4-18, Gurjapneet Singh 1-39, Anshul Kamboj 3-35, Noor Ahmad 1-36) by 23 runs
[Cricinfo]
Punjab Kings trumped Sunrisers Hyderabad in a battle of explosive top orders, chasing down 220 with more than an an over to spare. Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head put on 120, and Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya responded with a 99-run partnership of their own before Shreyas Iyer ensured the rest of the chase went smoothly.
The winning runs were scored by Shashank Singh, who was more pivotal on the day with the ball, dismissing both SRH openers in a single over to begin a slowdown they couldn’t recover from. Having got to 120 for no loss in eight overs, SRH scored just 99 in their last 12.
Shashank took 2 for 20 in three overs, finishing with an economy rate of 6.66 in a game where 442 runs were scored.
This was the tenth time PBKS had chased down a 200-plus target, the most times by any team in the IPL.
They teased it against Kolkata Knight Riders, but in New Chandigarh, the Travishek show well and truly arrived at IPL 2026. Abhishek slapped the first legal delivery of the game over covers to lay down the marker. He drove Xavier Bartlett down the ground twice next up. And then in the third over, the fireworks really began.
Abhishek pulled a short ball from Arshdeep Singh over midwicket and then slapped a slower ball down the ground for back-to-back boundaries. Arshdeep went on to bowl four wides in his next five attempts to keep the ball out of Abhishek’s arc. Under pressure, he ended up bowling closer to off and was thumped down the ground for the first six of the game. When Arshdeep went around the wicket and bowled short and across the left-hander, Abhishek went up and over short third for another six.
Head, on 3 off 5 at this point, joined the party by taking down Marco Jansen for two fours and a six in the fourth over.
When PBKS turned to Vijaykumar Vyshak, Abhishek welcomed him with a six over cover and then hit him for three more for the second 24-run over of the powerplay, in the process bringing up an 18-ball fifty. Head followed up with a hat-trick of boundaries against compatriot Bartlett. One legal ball later, when Abhishek pulled a short ball in front of square for a six, SRH brought up their hundred in 35 balls, making it the fifth time a team had reached 100 inside the powerplay – three of them had come courtesy this opening pair. Their 105 for no loss at the end of the sixth over was the joint-third-highest powerplay score in the IPL.
With PBKS’ frontline bowlers getting hit around the park, Shreyas turned to Shashank’s medium-pace, and it turned out to be the turning point in the game.
He conceded just six runs off the first over after the powerplay, and off the first ball of his next over he foxed Head with a slower ball that he chipped tamely to long-off. A single and a wide later, he had Abhishek slicing to cover for 74 off 28. With that, Shashank had three IPL wickets, and they were of Abhishek, Head and Abhishek.
From there, the scoring rate dropped significantly. Ishan Kishan scored briskly, but Jansen took a screamer running from deep midwicket to end his cameo in the 14th over. Heinrich Klaasen, meanwhile, could never really get going, and fell as he tried to accelerate at the death, falling for 39 off 33. In the end, SRH finished on 219 for 6, the lowest first-innings total when an IPL team has scored 100 or more in the powerplay.
Chasing 220 can be daunting. But perhaps less so if you’re chasing 220 when you know your opponents left some runs out there, especially in the Impact Player era.
SRH opted for Harsh Dubey’s left-arm spin first up and Arya welcomed him with a sweep for four, before launching the last two balls of the over down the ground – once over the rope and once along the carpet – to knock 18 runs off the target.
Then Prabhsimran took over the scoring. The next three overs went for 37, to which Arya contributed just the one run. Prabhsimran took a special liking to Jaydev Unadkat, whom he hit for three sixes.
The fifth over by Eshan Malinga went for 17, and PBKS saved the best of the powerplay for the last over, with Arya going 6, 6, 4, 4 to bring up a 16-ball fifty and welcome Harshal Patel into the attack with a 21-run over.
Brief scores:
Punjab Kings 223 for 4 in 18.5 overs (Priyansh Arya 57, Prabhsimran Singh 51,Cooper Connolly 11, Shreyas Iyer 69*, Nehal Wadhera 14, Shashnak Singh 16*; Harsh Dubey 1-38, Shivang Kumar 3-33) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 219 for 6 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 74, Travis Head 38, Ishan Kishan 27, Heinrich Klaasen 39, Aniket Verma 18; Arshdeep Singh 2-50, Xavier Bartlett 1-42, Shashank Singh 2-20) by six wickets
[Cricinfo]
PNS TAIMUR & ASLAT arrive in Colombo
Sanju Samson and Jamie Overton deliver first points for Chennai Super Kings
Arya, Prabhsimran and Shreyas help Punjab Kings ace another 200-plus chase
Beauty of Sri Lanka in focus: Global showcase blends art, diplomacy and conservation
Showers expected in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Southern, North-western and Uva provinces and in Ampara, Batticaloa and Polonnaruwa districts after 1.00 p.m.
Heat index likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Northern, North-central, North-western, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and Eastern provinces and Monaragala district
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