Burma's military leader will not run in upcoming elections

Burma – known by it’s military rulers as Myanmar – said at a regional summit that its top leader will not run in next month's elections, while the U.N. chief warned that the Nov. 7 vote may lack legitimacy if the country's junta does not release political prisoners.

It had been speculated that junta leader Senior Gen. Than Shwe would not run because his
name did not appear on the candidates' list, but he is widely expected to have some new role and title after elections.

“There’s no particular need for him to run,” says Anna Roberts, Executive Director at Burma Campaign UK. “That would be assuming that these elections are somehow free, fair, transparent and a meaningful process. But as is evidently clear, this whole process is a complete sham.”

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has called on Burma to free its political prisoners, saying that that even though they will not be able to participate in the elections, their release would at least create a “perception that this election will be more inclusive.”

Roberts says that she would not see such a move as a particular sign of progress.

“We can see over the years that the regime has regularly released many prisoners on amnesties, and that’s included some political prisoners,” Roberts told Vatican Radio. “And it has never been an indication of any process of reform or any sign of goodwill and progress on the part of the regime.”

Listen to Anna Roberts' full interview with Kelsea Brennan-Wessels: