Myanmar’s military government has announced it will begin general elections on 28 December 2025, marking the country’s first vote since the junta seized power in a coup more than four years ago.
The election will be conducted in phases, with future voting dates to be announced later, according to a statement from the country’s election commission. However, the planned polls have already been widely condemned as illegitimate by international observers, human rights groups, and opposition leaders.
Contested Legitimacy and a Nation at War
The announcement comes despite ongoing civil war across much of Myanmar, where fighting between the military and armed ethnic and pro-democracy groups has displaced thousands and claimed countless lives. Many of these groups have vowed to block voting in territories under their control, making nationwide polling a logistical and political challenge.
The National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi, will not be allowed to participate. The NLD previously won landslide victories in the 2015 and 2020 elections, the latter of which was annulled by the military when it overthrew the elected government in February 2021. Suu Kyi has since been detained and remains imprisoned.
Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, who orchestrated the 2021 coup, has claimed the upcoming elections will be “free and fair” — a notion dismissed by critics who say the military is using the polls to legitimize its grip on power through proxy parties.
Global Response and Human Rights Concerns
Human rights advocates and international observers have expressed deep skepticism over the credibility of the election. Tom Andrews, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, has called it a “mirage of an election” designed to create the illusion of legitimacy for the junta.
“The international community must not allow the military junta to get away with this fraud,” Andrews warned in June, urging governments to reject the results outright.
Human Rights Watch similarly stated the regime would be “delusional” to believe that elections held under such violent and repressive conditions would be seen as credible by the international community.
Despite widespread condemnation, China, Myanmar’s most influential neighbor, has expressed support for the polls — prioritizing stability and strategic interests in the region.
Ongoing Crisis in Myanmar
Since the 2021 coup, thousands have died, the economy has collapsed in many regions, and access to food, healthcare, and humanitarian aid has deteriorated sharply. A major earthquake in March further deepened the crisis, while international funding cuts have left vulnerable populations in extreme conditions.
State media reports that 55 political parties have registered for the elections, nine of which intend to contest seats nationwide.
Nonetheless, with large parts of the country outside the junta’s control, observers say the December vote is unlikely to bring peace or democratic legitimacy.
