China backs Myanmar polls; West call it sham :::: Junta stages election after five years of civil war

Former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi remains jailed, while her hugely popular party has been dissolved and was not taking part.

Myanmar junta chief says election is 'free and fair'  

A trickle of voters made their way to Myanmar's heavily restricted polls on Sunday, with the ruling junta touting the exercise as a return to democracy five years after it ousted the last elected government, triggering civil war.  

Myanmar's junta leader Min Aung Hlaing said Sunday the country's elections are "free and fair", despite being run by the military which seized power in a coup five years ago.

"We guarantee it to be a free and fair election," he told reporters after casting his ballot in the capital Naypyidaw. "Its reputation is not tarnished because it's being held by the military."  

Campaigners, Western diplomats and the UN's rights chief have all condemned the phased month-long vote, citing a ballot stacked with military allies and a stark crackdown on dissent.

The pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party is widely expected to emerge as the largest one, in what critics say would be a rebranding of martial rule. 

Within days of the announcement, Burma’s military intelligence service—which is more of a secret police force—launched a massive campaign against elected NLD MPs. By the end of the year, 65 had been arrested, nearly a dozen had fled to neighboring Thailand and India, and many resigned voluntarily.  

Myanmar 1990 : People cast their vote 

The first of three rounds of voting taking place on Dec 28th. 

More than 100 townships, including the commercial capital of Yangon, will vote in this first phase of the elections, followed by another 100 in the second phase on Jan 11, 2026. 

The third round of voting will take place on Jan 25.  

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