Myanmar’s junta leader announced elections are set for December 2025 or January 2026, stating they will be “free and fair.” However, ongoing violence and opposition challenge the credibility of these elections, following a military coup in 2021 that led to significant unrest and casualties.
The leader of Myanmar’s military junta, General Min Aung Hlaing, announced that the country would hold elections in either December 2025 or January 2026, marking the first elections since the military coup in 2021. He stated that the elections would be “free and fair,” according to comments published in the state-run newspaper, Global New Light of Myanmar. Furthermore, he noted that 53 political parties have submitted their participation lists and welcomed observation teams from Belarus to oversee the elections.
The military took control of Myanmar in 2021, alleging significant electoral fraud in the 2020 elections, which were won by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy. Since the coup, the military has faced severe resistance, resulting in a violent crackdown against dissenters and ongoing conflict across the nation, leading critics to claim that upcoming elections will not be genuinely democratic.
Delays in organizing elections have been frequent. In 2022, the junta announced the dissolution of Suu Kyi’s NLD for not complying with a stringent new electoral law. Minister Than Swe indicated in December that preparations for elections were ongoing, yet the military extended the state of emergency in January, further postponing any electoral processes.
Southeast Asian community leaders have urged the junta to focus on achieving a ceasefire rather than rushing into elections. General Min Aung Hlaing has emphasized the need for “peace and stability” before elections can be realized. The U.S. has described any elections conducted by the junta as a “sham,” while experts have publicly condemned the election plans, predicting potential violence amidst the ongoing turmoil in Myanmar.
Since the coup, reports indicate over 6,300 civilian deaths and approximately 28,000 arrests. The violence has displaced more than 3.5 million individuals, with 19.9 million people projected to require humanitarian assistance in 2025, according to the UN.
In summary, though Myanmar’s junta has announced intentions to hold elections by early 2026, the context of ongoing violence and opposition raises significant concerns regarding the credibility of such elections. The military’s history of crackdown against dissent and the current humanitarian crisis in the nation cast doubt on the prospect of genuinely free and fair polls.
Original Source: www.gjsentinel.com
