Overview
- The first phase of voting begins on December 28 with further rounds in January, and no polls will be held in rebel-held territory.
- UN rights chief Volker Türk says authorities are using brutal violence and intimidation to compel voting, while some armed opposition groups are threatening people to stay away.
- A July election law targeting “disruption” has been used to charge more than 200 people and resulted in severe sentences for anti-election expression, rights groups report.
- The system reserves 25% of parliamentary seats for the military, the pro-junta USDP has the largest slate, and electronic machines prohibit write-ins or spoiled ballots.
- Aung San Suu Kyi and many opposition figures remain detained, China has thrown its support behind the process after brokering truces, and conflict has left roughly 90,000 dead and over 3.5 million displaced since 2021.