Burma’s military regime, known as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), intends to hold national elections sometime this year, the first since 1990. The polls will be the fifth step in the socalled “Seven Step Roadmap to Democracy” (the Roadmap) announced by the SPDC in 2003. The first four steps related to the development of a new constitution, adopted in 2008, which perpetuates military control of the government.

Decades of poor management and corruption have created dire economic conditions, and turmoil has continued. During the 2007 “Saffron Revolution,” the military regime brutally cracked down on demonstrations led by monks seeking a better economic situation and greater freedom. Border clashes between the regime and armed insurgent groups and continued repression of ethnic groups have led to significant instability.

 

The SPDC has presented the Roadmap process and the 2010 elections as important steps to lift Burma out of its desperate economic and social circumstances. But, contrary to the regime’s expressed intention, the process thus far has merely reflected a concerted effort by the military to retain power rather than establish a government based on the will of the people. The constitution and the new election laws, issued on March 8, 2010, do not comply with even the most basic international standards.