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Votes counted after Burma election

Burma's media reported the election was a successful, smoothly-run process
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Burma: Battle for Democracy

How democratic will election be?
Aung San Suu Kyi: Fading light?
Bleak outlook for ethnic groups
Burma election: Q&A
Votes are being counted after Burma's first election for two decades, a poll condemned by Western governments as neither free nor fair.

Sunday's poll was boycotted by the main pro-democracy opposition party, the NLD. Parties close to the military junta are expected to do well.

There were reports of irregularities, voter intimidation and a low turn-out.

Meanwhile, violent clashes between ethnic rebels and government troops have erupted near the Thai border.

Members of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army staged an armed demonstration of their opposition to the vote, which many fear the junta will use to strengthen their control over the ethnic minorities.

In response, Burmese government troops gathered and clashes broke out early on Monday. Several people are said to have been injured and there are unconfirmed reports of deaths.

The poll is the first in the military-ruled nation since 1990, when the Aung San Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy secured an overwhelming victory but was never allowed to take power.

The ruling generals say the election marks the transition from military rule to a civilian democracy, but the poll has been widely condemned as a sham.

Despite this, some analysts say the election - although deeply flawed - could mark the start of a process of democratisation, by giving opposition lawmakers a voice, however limited, in the institutional decision-making process.

Low turnout

Burma's state-run media has described the election as a successful, smoothly-run process.

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BURMA ELECTION: NUMBERS

First election in 20 years
Total of 37 parties contesting the polls
29 million voters eligible to cast ballots
1.5 million ethnic voters disenfranchised because areas deemed too dangerous for voting to take place
About 3,000 candidates of whom two-thirds are running for junta-linked parties
No election observers, no foreign journalists
David v Goliath in Rangoon
How democratic are the polls?
Voters were electing candidates to a two-chamber parliament and 14 regional assemblies.

More than two-thirds of the 3,000 candidates were running for two parties closely linked to the military junta.

Turn-out for the election was reportedly low.

A BBC correspondent in Burma's largest city, Rangoon, described the atmosphere on Sunday as subdued, with no queues at polling stations.

Some voters told the BBC they could not vote in private, while opposition groups alleged many state employees had been pressured to vote in advance for the main pro-military party.

The NLD, and party leader Ms Suu Kyi - who remains under house arrest - boycotted the polls because of election laws they said were unfair.

The constitution reserves more than a quarter of seats in the new parliament for the army.

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Clashes between Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) soldiers and government troops
The DKBA split from the Karen National Union - whose armed wing is fighting the government - in 1994
The DKBA was allied with the junta, but one faction rejects government demands to become part of a centrally-controlled border force
The faction is known as Brigade 5 and comprises 1,000 fighters
In pictures: Burma ethnic clashes
Bleak outlook for ethnic groups
Dozens of senior officers have recently "retired" to stand for the government-approved Union Solidarity and Development Party - by far the strongest party.

The combined force of these two groups will likely mean that they have an effective veto over legislation.

Hundreds of thousands of ethnic voters - who make up 40% of the population - were unable to take part in the polls because in areas deemed too volatile, polling was not held.

Western nations have criticised the conduct of the election; US President Barack Obama said it had not met "internationally accepted standards", while the UK said the results were "a foregone conclusion".

In a joint statement on Monday, the US and Australia called for the immediate release of political prisoners including Aung San Suu Kyi.

It is not clear when election results will be released.

Ethnic tensions
Tensions surrounding the poll spilled into violence on Monday in the town of Myawaddy, on the Thai border, in a clash between a Karen rebel faction and government troops.

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BURMA ELECTION: PARTIES

Union Solidarity and Development Party: Junta-linked party contesting every seat - about 1,160
National Unity Party: Junta-linked party contesting 999 seats
National Democratic Force: Pro-democracy party contesting 163 seats
Shan Nationalities Democratic Party: Largest of the ethnic parties, contesting 157 seats
Burma election: The parties
Ethnic groups in Burma have been demanding - without success - greater regional autonomy from the majority Burman-led central government since independence from Britain in 1948.

Many have suffered persecution at the hands of the government.

A splinter group of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, known as Brigade 5, briefly occupied a police station and polling booth on Sunday.

In response, Burmese government troops gathered and clashes broke out early on Monday.

There were also reports of stray shells landing on the Thai side of the border, injuring at least eight people.

More than 1,000 Burmese people are reported to have fled the fighting, crossing into Thailand.

Clashes have now spread further south to the Three Pagodas Pass, and the Thai army says it is sending reinforcements to the area.

Observers had feared violence after the election between the Burmese military and several ethnic armies - few expected it to break out so soon.






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