Myanmar’s ruling military junta has announced December 28, 2025, as the date for long-delayed national elections, despite the country being gripped by an intensifying civil war and widespread territorial losses to resistance forces. The declaration comes as the military struggles to maintain control in the face of coordinated offensives by ethnic armed groups and pro-democracy militias.
In recent months, resistance fighters have made sweeping advances across several regions, capturing towns, military outposts, and key border crossings. In response, the junta has unleashed a relentless campaign of air strikes while enforcing a strict conscription law that has swelled its ranks with thousands of new soldiers. This has enabled the military to claw back certain settlements, though large swathes of territory remain outside its control.
The regime has attempted to frame the elections as a step toward restoring stability, but doubts about their credibility are mounting. A nationwide census conducted last year in preparation for the polls revealed glaring gaps, with provisional results showing that data from nearly 19 million people—out of an estimated 51 million—was never collected.
Authorities blamed “significant security constraints” for the shortfall, underscoring the junta’s limited reach in conflict zones. Analysts warn that the widespread disenfranchisement could undermine the legitimacy of the election, as millions of citizens caught in areas controlled by opposition forces may be excluded from voting.
The announcement has drawn skepticism from rights groups and international observers, many of whom argue that holding elections under such conditions risks deepening the crisis rather than resolving it. For now, the December vote stands as a symbolic show of defiance by the junta—an attempt to project authority in a nation where its control remains deeply contested.
