Myanmar is set to hold its first election since the military seized power in a coup in February 2021, plunging the country into a brutal civil war.
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who led the coup against Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government, announced that elections would take place in December 2025 or January 2026 at the latest, according to the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper.
Speaking in Belarus, one of Myanmar’s few remaining allies, he said 53 political parties had already submitted their lists to participate.
However, no exact date was given, and the junta has repeatedly pushed back election plans while facing growing battlefield losses.
The announcement comes as Myanmar’s military struggles to maintain control, with armed resistance from pro-democracy fighters and ethnic militias escalating across the country.
With the junta losing ground to resistance forces, opposition leaders jailed, and large parts of the country outside military control, the planned vote is already being dismissed as a farce.
More than three years after overthrowing Ms Suu Kyi’s government, the military is on the defensive. It is believed to control less than half of Myanmar’s territory, with opposition forces seizing key towns and military bases. Holding a nationwide election in this environment seems nearly impossible.
The junta has already signalled that voting will only take place in areas it controls. In October, the military attempted a partial census to compile voter lists, but it only managed to collect data in 145 of 330 townships. The junta admitted in a report, that many areas controlled by ethnic militias and pro-democracy forces were inaccessible.
The plan for a general election is widely seen as an attempt to legitimise the military’s grip on power. Most of Myanmar’s opposition leaders, including Ms Suu Kyi, 79, remain in prison after what rights groups call politically motivated trials. The junta has also cracked down on independent media, making a fair election even more unlikely.
The National Unity Government (NUG), a shadow administration formed by ousted lawmakers and activists, has rejected the military’s election plans and vowed to block the vote through non-violent means.
