March 26, 2025

Myanmar’s military chief Min Aung Hlaing has announced that a general election must be successfully conducted by January 2026, according to state-controlled media reports.

He stated that preparations are underway to hold a multi-party democratic election, but added that security and stability are still required to make the vote possible.

The regime is reportedly planning to hold the elections sometime between the third and fourth weeks of December 2025 and the first two weeks of January 2026.

However, analysts and political observers have raised doubts, noting that the military currently controls only limited territory while resistance forces continue to intensify their offensives across the country.

Critics argue that any election held under the junta’s supervision would be illegitimate and meaningless, merely serving as a façade to maintain military rule.

The National Unity Government (NUG) and allied resistance groups have urged the international community not to recognize the junta’s proposed elections, asserting that they would lack democratic legitimacy.

Min Aung Hlaing seized power after alleging fraud in the 2020 general election, a claim widely dismissed by independent observers. He has since ruled the country through a military junta that has committed widespread human rights abuses.