Myanmar's General Election Begins Amid Civil War: 20% of Population Disenfranchised
Myanmar's military junta began a restricted general election on Dec 28, 2025, amid an ongoing civil war. With 20% of voters disenfranchised, critics call the polls a 'sham' designed to cement military rule.
Ink on the finger, but guns on the street. Myanmar's military junta has opened polls for the first general election since its 2021 coup, yet millions are being left without a voice as conflict continues to tear the nation apart.
A Restricted Vote Under Heavy Guard
On December 28, 2025, polling stations opened in roughly one-third of the country's 330 townships. In Yangon and the capital, Naypyidaw, security was tight as military chief Min Aung Hlaing cast his ballot. He framed the election as a "new chapter of hope" for the nation's 55 million people, promising economic reconstruction.
However, the reality on the ground tells a different story. According to Al Jazeera, voting has been cancelled in 65 townships where the military has lost control to opposition forces. This effectively disenfranchises 20% of the country at this stage. Two further rounds of voting are scheduled for January 11 and January 25, 2026.
Dismissed as a Sham by the International Community
Critics, including the United Nations and human rights groups, haven't held back, calling the exercise neither free nor fair. Aung San Suu Kyi, whose NLD party won the 2020 election by a landslide, remains in detention while her party has been dissolved. This leaves the pro-military USDP as the almost certain winner.
The outcome is hardly in doubt: a resounding USDP victory and a continuation of army rule with a thin civilian veneer. It'll likely harden political divisions and prolong state failure.
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