Myanmar's military junta held the first phase of its general election on Sunday, five years after seizing power and plunging the country into civil war. The junta claims the vote signals a return to democracy, but critics, including Western nations and the UN, condemn it as a sham designed to legitimize military rule. Former leader Aung San Suu Kyi remains imprisoned, and her party is dissolved. Voting is restricted to junta-controlled areas, with large swathes of the country excluded due to ongoing conflict. The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party is expected to win.