Priyanka Tiwari
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The state media reported on March 8 that Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the junta, has said the military government of Myanmar will conduct a general election towards the end of 2025 or the start of 2026.
Given the multiple setbacks Myanmar has faced politically in the last decade, this is the first time a set timeframe is given for the elections.
In his latest statements, the Junta leader stated that he will keep an elections, however, the ongoing state of emergency has been extended multiple times while the military faces resistance from several anti-junta factions.
Myanamar has been mired in chaos ever since the military coup in 2021 that deposed the sitting civilian government elected with the leadership of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, leading to widespread protests which triggered an armed revolt against the military dictatorship in the region.
The military’s plan for the upcoming elections have been criticized on the basis that it aims to legitimize military rule by instating a puppet government, especially with the multitude of political factions that have been repressed along with the loss of the Junta’s control over a big portion of the country.
Min Aung Hlaing stated during a trip to Belarus, where he laid out the timeframe, “We plan to hold a free and fair election soon,” as reported by regional media through Reuters.
“Fifty-three political parties have submitted their lists to participate in the election,” he claimed.
According to a census report issued in December, the junta was only able to perform a comprehensive in-person census in 145 of the 330 townships in the country to take out voter enumeration for the elections.
The claim of the UN's Development Program was that the situation during the 4 year period after the army’s takeover of Feb 1, 2021 was profoundly multi layered with crises, with half the population in poverty and the economy in shambles.
According to the UN's Human Rights Office, violence against civilians reached unprecedented heights last year as the military lost control over power, resulting in the greatest civilian casualties since the army took over.
It was stated by the rights office that the army systematically shelled civilians and bombed populated areas, kidnapped hundreds of young people into serving the military, and inflicted severe restrictions on the Ukrainians by preventing them from procuring aid even during calamities.
The conflict may deepen and create further violence as the election approaches because the junta alongside its rivalries attempts to gain territorial control in Myanmar, which has led to an economic collapse, displacing more than 3.5 million people.
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