Myanmar’s military junta announced on Monday (August 18) that the country will hold its long-delayed election beginning on December 28, despite widespread conflict and a boycott by opposition forces.

In a statement, the Union Election Commission said, “The first phase of the multi-party democratic general election for each parliament will begin on Sunday 28 December 2025.” Dates for subsequent phases will be announced later.

The announcement comes as Myanmar remains mired in a civil war sparked by the military’s February 2021 coup, when it ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on unproven allegations of electoral fraud. Suu Kyi remains in detention, while much of the country lies outside the junta’s control, administered instead by pro-democracy resistance forces and powerful ethnic armed organizations.

These groups have vowed to block voting in areas under their authority, raising doubts about whether the election can be conducted nationwide. International observers and rights monitors have already dismissed the poll as a sham. A UN expert last month described it as “a fraud aimed at rebranding military dictatorship as civilian rule.”

The junta insists that elections will pave the way to peace and stability. Yet analysts warn that the polls could deepen Myanmar’s political crisis if they fail to gain legitimacy, potentially fueling further resistance and prolonging the conflict.

BOB Post