Myanmar's election has started five years after the military coup plunged the country into civil war, amid widespread skepticism about the election's credibility.
On the morning of Sunday, 28 Dec 2025 GMT+7, voting began in Myanmar under strict military control. The ruling military government promoted this election as a return to democracy after five years since the coup ousted the civilian government, triggering civil war.
Historically, Myanmar's military has ruled for most of its post-independence history, interrupted only by a ten-year transition when civilian governments held power amid hopes for reform.
However, after Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) decisively defeated the military-backed opposition in the 2020 election, Min Aung Hlaing staged a coup in February the following year, alleging widespread election fraud.
Former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi is serving a 27-year prison sentence on various charges, ranging from corruption to violating COVID-19 restrictions, which human rights groups consider politically motivated. Her hugely popular party was also dissolved.
Activists, Western diplomats, and the UN human rights chief have condemned this month-long election as dominated by military allies and marked by severe repression of dissent, with over 200 people facing prosecution.
The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) is widely expected to become the largest party, with critics viewing the election as merely a rebranding of the military dictatorship.
Due to Myanmar's ongoing civil war, voting is not taking place in areas controlled by rebel groups.
In constituencies under military government control, the first of three voting rounds began at 06:00 (06:30 Thai time), covering Yangon, Mandalay, and Naypyidaw.
Unlike past elections where Aung San Suu Kyi galvanized large crowds, there were no lively gatherings this time, and the military launched intense pre-election offensives to reclaim territory.
“It is impossible for this election to be free and fair,” said Mo Mo Myint, who spent two months fleeing military airstrikes. “How can we support an election organized by the military that is destroying our lives?”
“We have become homeless, hiding in the forest, living between life and death,” said the 40-year-old woman.
Retired General Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar's military leader, declined an AFP interview but has consistently portrayed the election as a path toward reconciliation.
The second voting round will be held in two weeks, followed by the final round on 25 January. However, the military government admits it cannot organize elections in nearly one-fifth of parliamentary constituencies.
“These elections are taking place amid an environment of obvious violence and repression,” said Volker Türk, UN human rights chief, earlier this week.
Soe Tun, an official with the People's Defense Forces (PDF) supporting democracy in northern Sagaing, said, “There are many ways to build peace in this country, but they have not chosen those methods. Instead, they chose to hold elections... We will continue to fight.”
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Source:cna