Myanmar’s military government has announced that elections will begin on 28 December, in what it called the first phase of “step-by-step” general elections. The Union Election Commission said more dates would be announced later, while state media reported that 55 political parties had so far registered, including nine with nationwide reach.
The announcement follows last month’s decision by the administration of Min Aung Hlaing to lift a state of emergency in parts of the country ahead of the planned December and January polls. Emergency rule was imposed after the army seized power in a coup in 2021, toppling the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
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Opposition groups, including Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, have pledged to boycott the polls, calling them an attempt to entrench military rule. Myanmar has been engulfed in conflict since the coup, with rebel forces such as the People’s Defence Force, the Arakan Army and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army controlling large areas.
The country last held elections in November 2020, when the National League for Democracy secured a landslide victory. The military later annulled the results, alleging widespread fraud, a claim rejected by international observers including the Asian Network for Free Elections and the Carter Center.
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