Yangon votes for first time in 60 years

The election is being closely watched as a test of the country's democratic credentials ahead of a landmark nationwide poll slated for November next year, despite strict curbs on who could vote on Saturday and the limited power of the councillors they were electing.
 For many the ballot for the Yangon City Development Committee, which closed on Saturday afternoon, was the first chance to vote under the country's quasi-civilian government, which replaced outright military rule in 2011.
 It was also a rare opportunity to have a say over the future of Myanmar's biggest city, where residents grumble about runaway construction and soaring rents, worsening traffic, poor sanitation and weak pollution control.
 "It's very difficult to have big expectations as this is the first YCDC election for 60 years," Khin Maung Tun, 50, a resident in Thaketa township told AFP. "But we came here to vote and show our spirit."
 Despite such enthusiasm, local media said turnout was low, although there were no official figures immediately available.
 Restrictions on who can vote enfranchised just 400,000 of the city's several million residents, while other clauses have strictly controlled who can stand for the YCDC.
 Just under 300 candidates, among them businessmen, retired civil servants and activists, are competing for 115 positions on the committee -- although the top posts will remain largely appointed.
 Campaigns were muted -- or non-existent -- in a country where politicians are unused to wooing the electorate, although election officials said the ballot would be transparent, free and fair.