Myanmar Junta's Planned Elections Widely Condemned as Fraudulent

The military regime's announcement of elections by early 2026 faces criticism for excluding opposition, worsening violence, and lacking territorial control.

• Myanmar's junta has announced plans to hold elections in December 2025 or January 2026, its first since seizing power in a 2021 coup.
• Key opposition figures, including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, remain imprisoned, and her party, the National League for Democracy, has been dissolved under new military-drafted laws.
• The junta controls less than half of Myanmar's territory, with large areas under the control of ethnic armed groups and pro-democracy forces resisting military rule.
• International observers and human rights groups have condemned the planned elections as a sham designed to legitimize military control, with calls for governments to denounce the process.
• The announcement comes amid internal military pressure on junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, who faces criticism over his leadership and may be seeking to consolidate power through the elections.

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