Election authorities cancelled voting in more than 50 townships across the country, citing military conflict -- a move critics says favours the military and ruling party while stripping 1.3 million voters of a choice on Nov. 8, RFA reported.

Before the announcement early this week by the Union Electoral Commission (UEC), about 37.5 million people were eligible to vote for candidates from more than 90 parties, as well as independents, to fill 1,171 seats available in both houses of the national parliament and in state and regional legislatures.

The cancellations unveiled by the UEC will affect 56 townships in whole or in part nationwide, resulting in 17 fewer members of the national parliament than were elected in 2015.