Voters confronting the 2016 presidential race in the United States have it easy. There are only two parties (Democrat and Republican) that really matter, and since most of the candidates are morons, indecision is less of a factor.
Not so in Myanmar.
The Union Election Commission (UEC) announced yesterday that 6,189 candidates from a jaw-dropping 93 political parties have registered to run, according to media reports (one agency said 92 parties, but still).
This wasn’t completely unexpected.
Myanmar is one of the most diverse countries on earth; the Ethnic Unity Party alone has 763 candidates, according to Radio Free Asia Burmese. Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy, tops the heap with 1,151 nominees, according to Xinhua.
But the total figure is still higher than informal estimates floating around before this week.
Not all will make it. The UEC is reviewing the list and released a finalized version on August 27.
Photo of man checking voter list in Yangon in July / Aung Naing Soe / Coconuts Yangon
