Myanmar will begin the first phase of its long-delayed general election on December 28, state television announced on Monday, setting the stage for the country’s first polls in nearly five years. The vote, however, has already drawn international criticism, with many dismissing it as a move by the ruling junta to tighten its grip on power.
According to the Union Election Commission, additional phases of voting will take place between December and January, with dates to be released later for security reasons. State media reported that 55 political parties have been registered to contest, though only nine plan to compete nationwide, while six others are still under review.
The announcement comes as Myanmar continues to reel from violence following the military’s 2021 coup that toppled the elected civilian government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Military chief Min Aung Hlaing’s regime has since faced fierce resistance from armed opposition groups, many of whom have been barred from participating in the polls or have chosen to boycott them.
Western governments and rights organisations have already dismissed the elections as a sham, noting that they are likely to be dominated by military-aligned parties and proxies. A newly established interim administration has pledged to hold voting in more than 300 constituencies, including some areas currently under the control of armed groups opposed to the junta.
Efforts to prepare voter rolls have also been hindered by conflict. A nationwide census conducted last year covered only 145 of Myanmar’s 330 townships. The military continues to justify its February 2021 power grab by alleging fraud in the November 2020 elections, which Suu Kyi’s now-defunct party had won in a landslide. International monitors, however, found no evidence of irregularities that could have altered the result.
The upcoming elections are widely viewed as a test of the junta’s ability to project legitimacy both at home and abroad, even as conflict and repression continue to grip the country.
Melissa Enoch
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