Myanmar's first election since the 2021 coup: everything you need to know

"Five years after Myanmar's junta ousted the country's last elected government, triggering a civil war, voting is set to begin this week in national elections. The junta claims the vote is a return to democracy, but in reality the one-sided and heavily restricted poll has been widely condemned as a sham designed to keep the generals in power through proxies."

"The first of three rounds of voting is due to begin at 6am on 28 December. More than 100 townships, including the commercial capital of Yangon, will vote in this first phase of the elections, followed by another 100 in the second phase on 11 January. The details of a possible third phase are yet to be announced. There will be 57 parties on the ballot on Sunday, but the majority are perceived as being linked to or dependent on the military."

"The party of Aung San Suu Kyi, which won a landslide victory in the 2020 election but was ousted in the 2021 coup, will not be running. Her National League for Democracy was dissolved after it refused to comply with a demand to register with the junta-backed Union Election Commission. Dozens of ethnic parties were also dissolved. According to election monitoring group Anfrel, 57% of the parties that ran in the 2020 general election no longer exist."

Five years after the military ousted the elected government, national voting will begin in a staggered three-phase election starting 28 December. More than 100 townships including Yangon will vote in the first phase, with a second phase on 11 January and a third phase pending. Fifty-seven parties appear on ballots, but most are perceived as linked to or dependent on the military and only six run nationwide. The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party has the most candidates and runs uncontested in many constituencies. The National League for Democracy and dozens of ethnic parties were dissolved after refusing junta demands. Election monitors report that 57% of parties from 2020 no longer exist despite previously winning most votes and seats. Several countries, the UN, and rights groups condemn the vote as a sham, while the junta insists the polls have public support. The elections will be held amid a raging civil war.

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