Archive · 24 Dec 2025
Myanmar Junta Holds Elections Amid Violence
Myanmar's military government is holding elections this Sunday, which they say will bring back democracy.
However, many people, including the United Nations, think these elections are not fair.
The military took control of the country a few years ago and jailed the previous leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
Her political party has been dissolved, and many other parties from the last election are not allowed to participate.
The military is using violence and threats to make people vote, while some groups are trying to stop the elections.
There is a lot of fighting in the country, and many people have been killed or forced to leave their homes.
The United Nations and other international groups do not think these elections will solve Myanmar's problems.
Myanmar's junta is holding elections starting Sunday, claiming it as a return to democracy.
Aung San Suu Kyi's party is dissolved, and she remains jailed with a 27-year sentence.
International monitors dismiss the elections as a rebranding of martial rule due to the crackdown on dissent and lack of fair representation.
The elections will not take place in rebel-held areas, and the junta has waged a pre-vote offensive, including air strikes on hospitals.
Around 22,000 political prisoners are in junta jails, and the UN and other groups do not believe the elections will contribute to solving Myanmar's problems.
- Who
- Myanmar junta, armed opposition groups, and international monitors
- What
- Elections held amid violence and intimidation, with opposition groups disrupting the process
- When
- Elections start on Sunday, with subsequent rounds on January 11
- Where
- Myanmar, excluding rebel-held areas
- Why
- Junta aims to legitimize its rule, while opposition groups seek to disrupt the process and international monitors dismiss the elections as a rebranding of martial rule
- Country
- Myanmar
- Election Date
- Starting Sunday, with subsequent rounds on January 11
- UN Rights Chief
- Volker Turk
- Dissolved Party
- Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD)
- Sentences for Protesters
- 42-49 years
- Opposition Group
- Yangon Army, People's Defence Force
- Voting Duration
- Month-long
- Junta's Claim
- Return to democracy
- Civil War Deaths
- 90,000 (ACLED estimate)
- Displaced People
- 3.6 million
- Poverty Rate
- 50%
