Myanmar military-backed party leads in election’s first phase by wide margin

Myanmar’s military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party is leading after the first phase of a contentious general ‍election, early results cited by state media showed, in the first vote since a 2021 coup. Having sparked a nationwide rebellion after crushing pro-democracy protests in the wake of its coup, the ruling junta has said the three-phase vote would bring political stability to the impoverished Southeast Asian ⁠nation. Partial results from Myanmar’s first election since 2020,...