Myanmar is set to hold the first phase of its general election on Sunday, December 28, the military government said, marking the first nationwide vote since the 2021 coup that overthrew the elected government. The junta has portrayed the election as a step toward restoring civilian administration, a claim widely disputed by opposition groups and international observers.
According to official data, a total of 4,963 candidates have registered to contest the election. Six political parties will compete nationwide, while 51 others will run only in specific regions or states. Nearly one-fifth of all candidates—1,018 in total—are from the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).
The election will be conducted in phases, with voting scheduled for December 28 and January 11. Authorities have said additional rounds could be held weeks later if necessary. However, voting will take place in only 202 of Myanmar’s 330 townships during the first two phases, as ongoing civil conflict has made polling impossible in large parts of the country. No timeline has been announced for voting in the remaining areas.
The military government has also not set a date for vote counting or the announcement of results.
Myanmar’s bicameral parliament consists of 664 seats—440 in the lower house and 224 in the upper house. Under the 2008 constitution, 25 percent of seats in both chambers are reserved for serving military officers appointed by the army chief, giving the military decisive influence regardless of election outcomes.
Once the election process is completed, the new parliament is required to convene within 90 days. Lawmakers will first elect speakers and then choose a president, who will go on to form a government.
Over the past 35 years, Myanmar has held four national elections. Only the polls in 2010 and 2015 resulted in elected governments taking office. The military annulled the 2020 election, which was won overwhelmingly by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD). The results of the 1990 election were also ignored for two decades.
In 2023, authorities dissolved 40 political parties for failing to re-register under new election laws, including the NLD, effectively barring the country’s most popular political force from participation.
Opposition groups and rights organizations argue that the planned election lacks credibility, given the exclusion of key parties, the ongoing conflict, and constitutional provisions that entrench military power.
