For første gang i årtier kan udenlandske observatører overvære en valghandling i det asiatiske land – vigtigt skridt fra styret for at gøre den demokratiske proces troværdig.
Burma has invited foreign election observers for the first time to witness polls, officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) say.
Asean said that it had been asked to send a total of 23 delegates including two MPs from each member state and media representatives, BBC online reports Tuesday.
Analysts say it is a small but symbolic step as the military-backed civilian government introduces cautious reforms. Forty-eight seats in parliament are being contested in the 1 April vote.
Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is standing for the first time since 1990, when Burma’s military leaders refused to recognise her National League for Democracy (NLD) party’s election victory.
The US, European Union and the UN have described the polls as “a key test” of the government’s commitment to reforms.
It is not expected that the vote will change the balance of power in Burma, even though it is being seen as hugely symbolic. A nominally civilian government took office in Burma last March after nearly 50 years of military rule.
The new government has surprised many people by releasing hundreds of political prisoners, introducing media freedoms and allowing Ms Suu Kyi to run for a seat in parliament, BBC notes..
