Votes are counted in Myanmar's election

Election officials began counting votes in Myanmar on Sunday after the country went to the polls in large numbers, in nationwide elections that are expected to return to power the party of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won the last elections in 2015 by a landslide, in a result which ended more than five decades of military rule.

With Myanmar under threat from a coronavirus surge, mask wearing was mandatory in the lines at polling stations, and many voters also donned plastic face shields and gloves.

Body temperatures were taken and hand sanitizing gel was freely dispensed by officials, but social distancing rules were only fitfully observed.

The Election Commission said it would begin to announce results on Monday morning, but that it may take up to a week to collect all the votes, some of which will come from remote areas.