Doubts cast on democracy of Myanmar vote

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Foreign observers and analysts have no illusions that the first elections to be held in Myanmar since 1990 will be democratic, reports BBC.
According to the non-governmental organisation, the Swiss-Burma Association, the vote on November 7 will do nothing more than reinforce the military junta's grip on power in the Southeast Asian nation.
Twenty years after the first "democratic" elections won by the party of the Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi - a victory annulled by the junta - the people of Myanmar are being called to the polls.
The 27 million eligible to vote are electing representatives to the country's two parliamentary chambers and regional councils. Of the 37 political parties, the one that stands out the most is the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) which is the only group present in nearly all of the constituencies.
The USDP was formed by Prime Minister Thein Sein and other ministers who retired from their military posts in April.
The November 7 vote is the last step on the Myanmar regime's "road map to democracy". Even though the government claims the elections will be "free and fair", many critics believe it will be nothing more than a farce staged by the military that has been in power for the past 40 years.