Myanmar election

January 30, 2026 4:49 PM

Myanmar election delivers victory for military-backed party amid civil war

Myanmar's military-backed party has completed a sweeping victory in the country's three-phase general election, state media said, cementing an outcome long expected after a tightly controlled political process held during civil war and widespread repression. The Union and Solidarity Party (USDP) dominated all phases of the vote, winning an overwhelming majority in Myanmar's two legislative chambers. It secured 232 of the 263 seats up for grabs in the lower Pyithu Hluttaw house and 109 of the 15...

January 20, 2026 10:18 AM

ASEAN will not certify Myanmar election or send observers, Malaysia says

The 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations will not send observers to army-ruled Myanmar's ongoing three-stage election and will therefore not endorse the poll, Malaysia's foreign minister said on Tuesday. Myanmar has been ravaged by conflict since the military staged a coup against a civilian government in 2021. The election, which began in December last year, has been criticised by the United Nations, many Western countries and rights groups as a ploy to legitimise military rule th...

January 13, 2026 3:01 PM

Why is Myanmar’s junta holding an election during a civil war?

Myanmar's military-led government is holding a phased general election amid a civil war convulsing large areas of the Southeast Asian nation. WHY IS MYANMAR HOLDING AN ELECTION? The military ousted the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in a February 2021 coup, just as it was preparing for a second term in office following a landslide election win months before. The generals promised to restore the democratic system and accused Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy ...

January 4, 2026 11:17 AM

Myanmar to free 6,186 prisoners in Independence Day amnesty during election

Myanmar's military government will release 6,186 prisoners under an amnesty marking Independence Day, state media said on Saturday, a week after a multi-stage general election began in the impoverished Southeast Asian nation. The amnesty, which includes 52 foreigners, is a humanitarian gesture that takes into consideration the public's peace of mind, state-run MRTV said. The junta also reduced sentences by one-sixth nationwide, excluding for those convicted of serious crimes such as murder, ra...

December 28, 2025 5:13 PM

Tepid early turnout in Myanmar election as junta touts stability

Under the shadow of civil war and questions over the poll’s credibility, voters in Myanmar cast their ballots in apparently low numbers in a general election on Sunday, the first since a military coup toppled the last civilian government in 2021. The junta, having crushed pro-democracy protests after the coup and sparked a nationwide rebellion, said the three-phase vote would bring political stability to the impoverished Southeast Asian nation, despite international condemnation of th...

October 15, 2025 3:42 PM

Myanmar junta chief admits election won’t be nationwide, as war continues

Myanmar's junta chief acknowledged on Wednesday that the military-backed administration will be unable to conduct an upcoming general election across the entire country, as a civil war triggered by a 2021 coup rages on. Critics and many Western nations view the election - due to start in late December and the first since the coup - as a sham exercise to legitimise the military's rule via proxy political parties. Dozens of anti-junta parties are either banned or refusing to take part. The South...

October 11, 2025 10:16 AM

ASEAN to discuss Myanmar election observers at October summit

Myanmar's junta has invited the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to send observers for planned year-end elections, and the bloc will discuss the request during a regional summit later this month, Malaysia's foreign ministry has said. The invitation to send election observers was extended to all ASEAN member states, the ministry said in a statement on Friday night. "The foreign minister noted the invitation extended to ASEAN member states to send election observers. For Malaysia, ...

October 10, 2025 2:39 PM

Myanmar’s junta says Malaysia to send observers for contentious polls

Malaysia will send observer teams for Myanmar's contentious general election, set to be held in phases from December 28, state media said on Friday, a day after talks between the leader of the ruling junta and Kuala Lumpur's top diplomat. Myanmar has been in turmoil since a 2021 military coup that overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and triggered an armed rebellion that has led to large parts of the country slipping out of the junta's control. "He advised that the election sho...

July 31, 2025 1:32 PM

Myanmar forms commission led by junta chief to hold elections, state media says

Myanmar's ruling junta announced the formation of a 11-member commission led by military chief Min Aung Hlaing to hold an election in the war-torn country, state media reported on Thursday. The junta did not announce a date for the election and Min Aung Hlaing will continue to effectively remain in charge of the country, in his capacity as the interim president who will oversee the vote, MRTV reported. The proposed election, which Min Aung Hlaing on Wednesday confirmed would take place in Dece...