After the 250 junta-appointed senators complete their five-year term on May 10, they will be replaced by a 200-member Senate elected from thousands of candidates via a complex voting system that excludes full public participation.
Over 210,000 people have informed the Election Commission (EC) that they wish to run for election to the Senate, and the EC expects at least 100,000 candidates to contest.
However, the six rounds of voting required – two each at the district, provincial and national levels – means all 200 seats in the Upper House will not be filled until mid-July.
Critics describe the selection system as defined in the 2018 Organic Act on the Acquisition of Senators as “the most complicated in the world”. They say that without a national election by all eligible voters, the system will end up selecting senators who represent the applicants rather than the…
