Myanmar Holds Controversial Phase of Elections Amid Ongoing Civil Strife

Sun Dec 28 2025 11:37:17 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

As Myanmar conducts its 'sham' elections with significant opposition suppression and civil unrest, the international community remains critical of the legitimacy of the process.

Myanmar is currently undergoing a phased election criticized as fraudulent, occurring nearly five years after a military coup has plunged the nation into civil war. Major political parties have been banned, leading to the dissolution of legitimate opposition. Observers suggest that the junta aims to legitimize its power amidst severe internal turmoil. Reports of violence and a significant portion of the electorate unable to vote underline the challenges facing the military regime.

Myanmar is voting in an election widely dismissed as a sham, with major political parties dissolved, many of their leaders jailed and as much as half the country not expected to vote because of an ongoing civil war. The military government is holding a phased ballot nearly five years after it seized power in a coup, which sparked widespread opposition and spiraled into a civil war.

Observers say the junta, with China's support, is seeking to legitimise and entrench its power as it seeks a way out of the devastating stalemate. More than 200 people have been charged for disrupting or opposing the polls under a new law which carries severe punishments, including the death penalty.

Polling began on Sunday after reports of explosions in at least two regions of Myanmar. Three people were taken to hospital following a rocket attack on an uninhabited house in the Mandalay region in the early hours of Sunday, the chief minister of the region confirmed to the BBC. One of those people is in a serious condition. Separately, more than ten houses were damaged in the Myawaddy township, near the border with Thailand, following a series of explosions late on Saturday.

A local resident reported that a child was killed in the attack, and three people were taken to hospital in an emergency condition. Despite the risks, some voters shared sentiments of responsibility towards the future of their country. The Burmese junta has rejected criticism of the polls, maintaining that it aims to 'return [the country] to a multi-party democratic system'. After casting his vote at a highly fortified polling station in the capital, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing asserted to the BBC that the election would be free and fair.

Western governments and rights organizations continue to denounce the elections, highlighting that many parts of the country are still under opposition control, complicating the election process. Citizens express wariness over the effectiveness of such elections under the pressure of ongoing military conflict and suppression of dissent.