Burmese election monitored by North Korean diplomats
It’s not strictly accurate to say there was no international observation of Sunday’s Burmese election: The newsreader said Myanmarese had voted "freely and happily," noting the election had been witnessed by foreign diplomats, including some from North Korea, Vietnam and China, as well as the "Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Rangoon." Compared to those three countries, ...
It's not strictly accurate to say there was no international observation of Sunday's Burmese election:
The newsreader said Myanmarese had voted "freely and happily," noting the election had been witnessed by foreign diplomats, including some from North Korea, Vietnam and China, as well as the "Foreign Correspondents' Club of Rangoon."
Compared to those three countries, all of which have elections in which only the ruling Communist party participates, Burma, which at least has multiple military-backed parties disagreeing on small points of policy, may actually be the most democratic. Perhaps they were ensuring that international standards for rigging and suppression were met.
It’s not strictly accurate to say there was no international observation of Sunday’s Burmese election:
The newsreader said Myanmarese had voted "freely and happily," noting the election had been witnessed by foreign diplomats, including some from North Korea, Vietnam and China, as well as the "Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Rangoon."
Compared to those three countries, all of which have elections in which only the ruling Communist party participates, Burma, which at least has multiple military-backed parties disagreeing on small points of policy, may actually be the most democratic. Perhaps they were ensuring that international standards for rigging and suppression were met.
Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy Twitter: @joshuakeating
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