When Myanmar held relatively free and fair elections in 2020 that were dominated by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, many democracies around the world hailed the results. After Myanmar’s armed forces, known as the Tatmadaw, annulled the election through a coup in February 2021, some of those countries imposed sanctions on the new junta and/or downgraded their diplomatic relations with Myanmar.
Now, the junta is gearing up for another “election” to be held in stages starting on Dec. 28. This time, however, it will be neither free nor fair, as the military intends for its political vehicle, the Union Solidarity and Development Party, or USDP, to win virtually every seat.
Analysts and observers have widely decried the elections as a sham. Voting will only occur in “secure zones,” meaning regime-controlled areas, which amount to less than half of Myanmar’s territory. The peaceful political opposition has been decimated since 2021, with most parties dissolved, while the junta is currently detaining an estimated 30,000 political prisoners. The country also remains mired in a brutal civil war between the Tatmadaw and a loose alliance of armed groups, making a free and fair election impossible even if there was an intention to hold one. Yet the junta intends to forge ahead, with former generals and current military officials dominating the list of candidates. The stage is set for Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, already serving as acting president, to be chosen formally as president.
