Myanmar is preparing for its first general election since the military seized power in a 2021 coup, with polls scheduled for 28 December. However, analysts and activists dismiss the vote as a sham designed to legitimise the junta's grip on power, rather than a step towards democracy.
The military has rejected international criticism, with junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun stating that the election is for the people of Myanmar, not the international community. China, the junta's key ally, supports the vote as a path to stability. Meanwhile, conflict has intensified: airstrikes increased by 30% in 2025 compared to 2024, and conscription-related abductions rose by 26%, with the military forcibly recruiting people to bolster its dwindling ranks.
A new election protection law criminalises any criticism of the vote, with a minimum sentence of three years and up to the death penalty. Since July, over 200 people have been arrested, including for liking social media posts. Activists say the junta is ruthless and that anyone seen as disapproving faces high risk.
Of the 57 parties contesting, most are perceived as military-linked, with the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party running virtually unopposed in many constituencies. Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, which won the 2020 election, was dissolved after refusing to register with the junta's election commission. Dozens of ethnic parties were also dissolved, and large areas of the country remain outside junta control.
