**FAQ – Myanmar Military Junta Holds Controversial ‘Sham’ Election Amid Brutal Civil War** **What is the Myanmar military junta’s election?** It is a military-organized vote held after the 2021 coup, widely criticized as illegitimate and tightly controlled. **Why is the election called a “sham”?** Opposition parties were banned or jailed, voters were silenced, and the process lacked free and fair conditions. **How does the civil war affect the election?** Ongoing fighting, displacement, and insecurity prevent large parts of the population from participating. **What has been the international reaction?** Global powers and human rights groups condemned the vote and urged a return to democratic rule. **Does the election bring peace to Myanmar?** Most experts say it deepens the crisis instead of resolving Myanmar’s political conflict.
Myanmar’s political crisis reached a new low in 2025 as the Myanmar military junta staged a widely criticized vote during an ongoing civil war. Labeled a sham election by opposition groups and global observers, the move came as violence, displacement, and repression continued nationwide. Since the 2021 coup, democratic institutions have collapsed, while armed resistance and humanitarian suffering have intensified.
This year-in-review guide explains how the election unfolded, why citizens rejected it, and how the world responded with growing international condemnation. By revisiting key events, power shifts, and human rights concerns, this overview helps you understand why Myanmar’s crisis remains unresolved and deeply troubling for regional stability and democracy.
Myanmar Military Junta Holds Fraudulent Election Amid Brutal Civil War
The military seized power nearly five years ago through a violent coup. They toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government without warning. What followed wasn’t stability—it was carnage. An ongoing civil war erupted across multiple regions simultaneously. Armed resistance groups and ethnic armies refused to accept military dictatorship. The Burmese junta lost control of large parts of Myanmar’s territory rapidly.
Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun claims this phased ballot will restore a “multi-party democratic system.” That’s propaganda, not reality. The military-backed USDP (Union Solidarity Development Party) dominates the approved candidate list artificially. Western governments including the United Kingdom and European Parliament dismissed it as illegitimate. UN top human rights official Volker Türk stated bluntly: “There are no conditions for freedom of expression or peaceful assembly.” Civilians are being coerced from all sides to participate or face consequences.
National League of Democracy Banned While Aung San Suu Kyi Remains Imprisoned
The National League of Democracy won landslide victories in both 2015 and 2020 elections overwhelmingly. The NLD represented genuine popular will across Myanmar’s diverse regions. Then the military government dissolved it completely through bureaucratic manipulation. Party leaders got jailed on politically motivated charges that nobody outside the junta accepts. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi herself remains behind bars facing decades of imprisonment.
40 parties were banned or dissolved for refusing to register under the junta’s draconian new laws. Only six parties field nationwide candidates, and most are military proxies. 51 parties contest at state or regional levels, but they lack real power. Independent candidates face surveillance, harassment, and worse. The democratic system Myanmar briefly enjoyed has been systematically dismantled piece by piece.
Why International Community Calls This Electoral Theater
Regional bloc ASEAN expressed serious concerns but remains divided on concrete action. China’s support and backing from Russia emboldens the junta to ignore international pressure. These authoritarian powers see Myanmar as a strategic asset. Western governments imposed sanctions that haven’t changed military behavior significantly. The international community watches Myanmar’s tragedy unfold without effective intervention mechanisms.
Voting Impossible Across Half the Country Due to Ongoing Conflict
Here’s what the military junta won’t admit publicly. Opposition control extends across vast territorial expanses they can’t reclaim. Armed rebel groups hold strategic positions throughout Chin, Shan, and Kachin states. The armed forces fight on several fronts simultaneously against coordinated resistance. They’ve clawed back territory through relentless airstrikes that terrorize civilian populations indiscriminately.
The devastating stalemate means genuine voting can’t happen in half the country. 56 townships are deemed too unstable for even pretend elections. Another 72 townships have no set date because military planners know they’d face armed opposition. This phased election schedule allows the junta to adjust tactics if early results look bad. Spring Sprouts election monitor Htin Kyaw Aye explained: “By splitting the vote into phases, authorities can manipulate outcomes systematically.”
| Election Phase | Number of Townships | Voting Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | 102 townships | December 28, 2025 | Confirmed |
| Phase 2 | 100 townships | January 11, 2026 | Scheduled |
| Phase 3 | 72 townships | No date set | Uncertain |
| Excluded | 56 townships | No voting | Too unstable |
| Total | 330 townships | Multiple dates | Fragmented |
Draconian Laws Silence Critics With Death Penalty Threats
The military government enacted a new law in July carrying severe punishments for election criticism. 200 people have been charged under this legislation already. That number doubled in just two months. Film director Mike Tee, actor Kyaw Win Htut, and comedian Ohn Daing each received seven-year jail terms for criticizing a propaganda film. Their crime? Exercising what used to be called freedom of expression.
The death penalty looms over anyone who actively disrupts the phased ballot. Citizens face impossible choices between participation and persecution. Volker Türk notes civilians are “being coerced from all sides“—the military demands votes while armed resistance demands boycotts. This climate of fear ensures nobody speaks truthfully about the farce unfolding. Human rights violations continue daily without accountability or international intervention stopping them.
China and Russia Enable Military Dictatorship Through Strategic Support
China’s support isn’t ideological—it’s coldly pragmatic and strategic. Beijing dislikes the coup but fears chaos more intensely. Myanmar hosts crucial infrastructure including gas pipelines and deep-water ports. The ongoing civil war threatens Chinese investments worth billions of dollars. So Beijing backs the junta while calling for “stability” publicly.
Support from Russia comes more overtly and without pretense. Moscow provides weapons, military training, and political dialogue cover internationally. Both powers shield Myanmar from stronger UN Security Council actions. Western governments can’t counter this great power support effectively. The regional bloc ASEAN lacks consensus to pressure Myanmar meaningfully. Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing exploits these geopolitical divisions brilliantly.
How Armed Forces Regained Territory Through Brutal Airstrikes
The Tatmadaw suffered major setbacks throughout 2023 and early 2024. Ethnic armies captured strategic towns and highways systematically. Then everything changed with external support arriving. The armed forces deployed new drones and sophisticated air power. They clawed back territory through campaigns that ignored civilian casualties completely.
Relentless airstrikes pound resistance strongholds daily now. The military doesn’t distinguish between armed fighters and innocent villagers. This scorched-earth approach works militarily while creating humanitarian catastrophes. Thousands have been killed and millions more displaced by this brutal strategy. The devastating stalemate shifted in the junta’s favor through violence, not legitimacy.
Humanitarian Crisis Deepens as Economy Collapses Under Military Rule
The ongoing civil war destroyed Myanmar’s economy systematically. A devastating earthquake in March made everything worse simultaneously. International funding cuts followed as donors abandoned the military regime. The result? A humanitarian vacuum where basic services barely exist anymore.
Ral Uk Thang, an 80-year-old resident of Chin state, told the BBC what many feel: “The military doesn’t know how to govern our country. They only work for the benefit of high-ranking leaders. When Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s party was in power, we experienced democracy. Now all we do is cry.” His words capture the tragedy unfolding across Myanmar’s townships daily. Millions displaced from homes wander without shelter or security. The destroyed economy offers no employment, no opportunity, only survival struggles.
Union Solidarity Development Party Positioned to Dominate Rigged Ballot
The military-backed USDP registered first under the junta’s 2023 Political Parties Registration Law strategically. This wasn’t coincidence—it was calculated planning. The Union Solidarity and Development Party performed terribly in free and fair 2020 elections. Voters rejected them overwhelmingly in favor of the NLD. Now they’re poised to “win” through manipulation rather than popular support.
The phased election system gives the USDP unfair advantages at every stage. The Union Election Commission (controlled by former military generals) writes rules favoring them. Nationwide candidates from opposition parties face harassment while USDP campaigners operate freely. State and regional races follow similar patterns of systematic bias. The voting in three phases allows adjustments if initial results look problematic for military interests.
Electoral Mechanics Designed to Ensure Predetermined Outcomes
The switch to proportional representation from first-past-the-post wasn’t random either. This change lets the junta govern with just over one-third of popular votes. Combined with 25% of parliamentary seats reserved for the military automatically, they control outcomes regardless. Min Aung Hlaing essentially picks himself as president through this rigged system.
Independent candidates and smaller parties can’t compete against this structural manipulation. The election results expected by end of January will shock nobody. Everyone knows the script already. The only question is how blatantly the military government will fabricate numbers to claim legitimacy.
Civilians Vote Without Hearts as International Observers Stay Away
“We will vote but not with our hearts,” one Myanmar resident explained perfectly. Participation doesn’t mean endorsement under these circumstances. People show up at polling stations to avoid persecution. The military junta interprets presence as support through propaganda. Reality tells a different story entirely about coercion and fear.
Western governments refused to send election observers anywhere near Myanmar. The European Parliament called it a “sham election” explicitly. ASEAN urged political dialogue before any voting happens. The junta rejected all criticism dismissively. Zaw Min Tun claimed: “The election is being held for Myanmar people, not the international community.” That’s technically true—it’s being held AT Myanmar’s people, not FOR them.
What Comes Next for Myanmar’s Shattered Democracy
The phased ballot won’t restore progress toward democracy regardless of propaganda claims. It entrenches military control deeper into Myanmar’s governance structures. Leaders in exile continue organizing resistance from neighboring countries. The ongoing civil war will intensify rather than calm after this electoral charade concludes.
Aung San Suu Kyi remains the symbol of genuine democratic aspirations imprisoned. Her health deteriorates while the junta denies adequate medical care deliberately. The National League of Democracy exists in memory and underground resistance now. 40 parties banned can’t participate in rebuilding their country’s institutions. The politically motivated persecution continues targeting anyone who challenges military supremacy.
Young people haven’t given up despite overwhelming obstacles. They join armed resistance groups in jungles and mountains. They share information through underground networks. They remember what freedom tasted like briefly. That memory fuels determination to eventually reclaim Myanmar from military dictatorship. The question isn’t whether democracy returns—it’s how many years of suffering precede that eventual restoration.
Key Takeaways
The Myanmar election represents authoritarian theater, not democratic practice. The military junta controls every aspect from candidates to counting. 274 of 330 townships voting means half the country gets excluded. Aung San Suu Kyi and thousands of political prisoners remain jailed. China’s support and backing from Russia enables continued military rule. The ongoing civil war creates a humanitarian vacuum affecting millions. Western governments reject this sham election universally. Myanmar’s path to genuine democracy remains long and bloody under current circumstan
FAQ – Myanmar Military Junta Holds Controversial ‘Sham’ Election Amid Brutal Civil War
- What is the Myanmar military junta’s election?
It is a military-organized vote held after the 2021 coup, widely criticized as illegitimate and tightly controlled. - Why is the election called a “sham”?
Opposition parties were banned or jailed, voters were silenced, and the process lacked free and fair conditions. - How does the civil war affect the election?
Ongoing fighting, displacement, and insecurity prevent large parts of the population from participating. - What has been the international reaction?
Global powers and human rights groups condemned the vote and urged a return to democratic rule. - Does the election bring peace to Myanmar?
Most experts say it deepens the crisis instead of resolving Myanmar’s political conflict.
