Bago Region was rocked by explosions and clashes Sunday as close allies of junta chief Min Aung Hlaing contested in the second phase of an election widely seen as a sham to entrench military rule.
Blasts at the General Administration Department (GAD) office in Htantabin Township—just over an hour north of Yangon—killed a Union Election Commission (UEC) assistant director and wounded one staff member, according to a local UEC official.
“Two bombs hit the GAD office in Htantabin,” U Phay Aung Thu, chair of the Thayawady District UEC, told The Irrawaddy.
Further north in Minhla Township, another explosion was reported at around 4 am. The Minhla People’s Defense Force (PDF), under the civilian National Unity Government (NUG), claimed responsibility and urged the public to boycott Sunday’s vote. The attack came after PDF fighters cut the road to a Minhla polling station on Saturday.
However, local UEC chair Phay Aung Thu insisted Minhla Township remained stable, with another UEC source claiming Bago polling stations were operating normally.
The Irrawaddy could not independently verify the reports of Bago casualties or the situation at polling stations.
On Sunday, PDF fighters also attacked a military checkpoint on the Yangon-Mandalay road in Phyu Township, slated for the third round of voting.
The assaults came 48 hours after the Bago PDF attacked 14 military checkpoints along the same road on Friday.
The second-phase vote is taking place in 100 townships across the country, including 12 in Bago Region, where junta-backed candidates are prominent.
Myo Zaw Thein, former adjutant-general and a close ally of Min Aung Hlaing, is contesting in his hometown of Pauk Khaung, while junta energy minister Ko Ko Lwin is running in nearby Padaung Township. Both are seeking seats in the Lower House, which is expected to be dominated by junta-backed MPs.
The election’s third and final phase will be held in 63 townships on January 25. Sixty-five townships have been excluded from the vote after the junta lost control of large parts of the country.
