Overview
- Polls opened Sunday for the first of three voting phases, with the next round due in two weeks and a final round on January 25.
- Min Aung Hlaing cast his ballot in Naypyidaw and urged turnout, insisting the vote is free and fair despite fraud claims he maintains about 2020.
- The UN and rights groups condemned the process, with Rapporteur Tom Andrews calling it a masquerade and rights chief Volker Türk citing repression and violence.
- Large areas under rebel control will not vote, the junta dissolved major opposition parties, and Aung San Suu Kyi remains imprisoned on a 27‑year sentence.
- Authorities say they will prosecute more than 200 people for allegedly sabotaging the election, as China voices support for the junta’s political roadmap and stability goals.