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Myanmar’s Muslims win no seats in new parliament

minority group were unable to vote and major parties fielded no Muslim candidates

 

Large populations from the minority group were unable to vote and major parties fielded no Muslim candidates.

No Muslims in majority-Buddhist Myanmar were elected to parliament, final election figures show, with all the current representatives losing their seats and new Muslim candidates defeated in their constituencies.

Officially making up 4% of the country’s 51 million people, although others say the figure is much higher,Muslims found themselves a target of hatred in the lead up to the polls.

The persecution of Muslims is most prevalent in western Rakhine state, where more than 140,000 Rohingya live in camps, forced to flee during race riots in 2012. Many have left on boats to other south-east Asian nations but those who stay remain stateless.

 

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