Myanmar’s junta leader, General Min Aung Hlaing, announced that the country would hold elections in December 2025 or January 2026, marking the first vote since the military coup in 2021.
“We are planning to hold the election in December 2025 or by January 2026,” General Hlaing said, as quoted by the state-run newspaper Global New Light of Myanmar on Saturday.
The general emphasized that the elections would be “free and fair” and confirmed that 53 political parties had submitted their lists to participate. He also extended an invitation to Belarusian observers to monitor the election, speaking during a state visit to Belarus on Friday, where he met with President Aleksandr Lukashenko in Minsk.
The military seized power in 2021, citing unfounded claims of electoral fraud in the 2020 election, which saw a landslide victory for Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD). Since then, the military has led a brutal crackdown on dissent, with escalating violence across the country. The junta has repeatedly delayed plans for new elections, which critics argue will not be free or fair.
The junta is facing growing resistance from ethnic rebel groups and pro-democracy “People’s Defence Forces,” complicating efforts to stabilize the country.
Repeated election delays
In 2022, the junta-appointed election commission dissolved Suu Kyi’s NLD for failing to re-register under a new military-drafted electoral law. In December, Myanmar’s junta foreign minister Than Swe told delegates from five neighboring countries that progress was being made toward the 2025 election.
However, in January, the junta extended its state of emergency by six months, effectively postponing the possibility of elections until at least the second half of the year. Southeast Asian foreign ministers also urged the junta to prioritize a ceasefire in its ongoing civil war rather than focus on elections.
Min Aung Hlaing, in a statement to the ruling military council in January, acknowledged that “peace and stability are still needed” before elections can take place.
International criticism
The United States has condemned the planned election, calling it a “sham,” while analysts warn that the military’s opponents are likely to target the polls, potentially resulting in further violence. A joint statement from election experts, published by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance in February, strongly rejected the junta’s election plans.
The humanitarian situation in Myanmar remains dire, with more than 6,300 civilians killed and over 28,000 arrested since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). The ongoing conflict has displaced over 3.5 million people, and an estimated 19.9 million people, or over a third of Myanmar’s population, will require humanitarian assistance in 2025, according to the UN.
AFP
