Overview
- The first of three voting phases begins December 28, with further rounds on January 11 and January 25, and the military has acknowledged nationwide balloting is not possible.
- Opposition forces denounce the vote as a sham after the NLD’s dissolution and Aung San Suu Kyi’s imprisonment, though Ko Ko Gyi’s People’s Party is contesting.
- Legal restrictions curb competition under a 2023 registration regime, while a new election‑protection law punishes criticism with severe penalties and at least 229 people have been charged.
- Active conflict continues with heavy civilian harm, including a recent strike on a Rakhine hospital that killed at least 30, as monitors estimate tens of thousands dead and millions displaced since 2021.
- International reaction is split, with the UN and Western governments rejecting the polls, ASEAN declining to send observers, and China publicly supporting the process.