The Wire

Burma has just held it first election in more than two decades. While the West has long been calling for the military regime to be replaced by a civil government, this election has been mired in controversies that have included the excluding many democratic parties opposed to the junta, the barring of voters living in areas deemed hostile to the military and widespread vote rigging by the government to ensure a landslide victory. In the wake of the election, there has also been a breakout of violence on the Burmese border with more than 10,000 people forced to flee to Thailand.