Burma's Sordid History of Unfair Elections

Furthermore, many political leaders, especially those associated with the NLD, and many high profile private citizens and monks, have been imprisoned since the latest regime crackdown, starting in 2007.

In January, the regime sent another clear message to the media by imposing a 20-year jail sentence on a freelance video reporter, Hla Hla Win, for providing information and video to exiled media.

As a result of regular intimidation of the media, Reporters without Borders and the Burma Media Association have requested Asean and the rest of the international community to make freedom of the press one of the conditions for recognizing the legitimacy of the 2010 elections.

The credibility of an election also lies in a secret ballot system, non-discriminatory voting and other legal assurances to protect the process from bias, fraud or manipulation. In the most recent referendum, there were widespread reports of manipulating voter lists and denying qualified voters from casting their ballots.

Authorities threatened or coerced, misinformed, deceived, cheated and used violence to win the support of many voters in the latest referendum. Many observers expect the same kinds of manipulation to be repeated in the coming elections.

Shamefully, the regime denied international and regional monitoring groups the right to observe the latest referendum, and there have yet to be assurances that such groups will be able to observe the 2010 election.

With such a sordid history of election manipulation and disregard for fundamental freedoms, the 2010 election will probably follow the pattern of other recent elections.

Denied the basic freedoms and procedures necessary to conduct a credible election, most Burmese have little hope that it will represent a new day in Burma's long road to democracy. Most likely, the election will be a repeat of the military government's disregard of democratic processes.