Myanmar Junta Conducts Election Amid Ongoing Civil War, Five Years After Coup

A sparse number of citizens queued cautiously to cast their ballots in Myanmar’s tightly controlled elections on Sunday, marking the country’s first national vote in five years since the military overthrew the previous civilian leadership — a move that plunged the Southeast Asian nation into protracted conflict.

The military government, known as the junta, is promoting the elections as a step toward restoring democratic governance. However, major opposition figures and parties are absent from the process. The most prominent former civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, remains imprisoned, and her widely supported political party has been disbanded, leaving many questioning the credibility of the vote.

International human rights advocates, Western diplomats, and the United Nations’ top human rights official have strongly criticized the phased, month‑long election. They argue that the process heavily favors parties aligned with the military and occurs against a backdrop of severe suppression of free speech and political dissent.

The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), a political organization closely tied to the military, is widely predicted to secure the greatest number of seats—leading critics to view the election as a tactical overhaul of direct military rule rather than a genuine democratic transition.

Voting Takes Place Only in Regions Under Junta Control

Myanmar, home to about 50 million people, remains deeply fractured by civil war. In areas controlled by ethnic armed groups or opposition forces, voting is not taking place, leaving large swaths of the population without access to the electoral process.

In the first of three voting phases, polls opened at 6:00 a.m. in cities such as Yangon, Mandalay, and the administrative capital Naypyidaw. Military commander Min Aung Hlaing was among those to vote early in the day, reinforcing the junta’s message of legitimacy.

“We assure that this will be a free and fair election,” he told reporters. “It is organized by the military, and we cannot allow our reputation to be tarnished.”

Scenes at the Polling Stations Reflect Apprehension and Low Turnout

In contrast to the lively voter turnout seen during the 2020 general election, when long lines formed outside polling centers, turnout in many urban stations this year was minimal. At a central Yangon polling site near the Sule Pagoda — a symbolic location of massive pro‑democracy demonstrations following the 2021 coup journalists and election staff outnumbered actual voters for much of the morning.

Among the small group of early voters was 45‑year‑old Swe Maw, who downplayed global criticism of the elections. “It’s not a significant issue,” he said. “There will always be people who approve and oppose.”

Near the shuttered residence of Aung San Suu Kyi, Bo Saw, the first person to vote at another station, described the election as “very important” and expressed hope that it would lead to positive outcomes for Myanmar.