Four years after seizing power from an elected administration, the military leader has announced that Myanmar will hold general elections within 10 months, according to state news reports.
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has indicated that elections will be held in either December or January 2026, the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported.
He announced the dates at a press conference during an official visit to Belarus, one of the few allies of Myanmar's military government, noting that 53 political parties have already submitted applications to participate in the elections.
However, General Min Aung did not specify the exact dates for the vote.
The announcement comes amid Myanmar's civil war, which has seen the army put on the defensive in the face of pro-democracy militants and ethnic militias demanding autonomy in large parts of the country.
The coup against the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 sparked massive popular resistance, leading to armed confrontation, and much of the country was drawn into the conflict.
Since then, the ruling military leadership has said that elections are their main goal, but has repeatedly postponed their holding.
The plan for a general election is seen as an attempt to legitimise the military's takeover through a vote and to achieve an outcome that ensures the generals remain in control.
Critics have already said the military-planned elections will not be free and fair because the country lacks independent media and most of the leaders of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party are under arrest.
Suu Kyi, 79, is serving a 27-year prison sentence after being found guilty in a series of politically motivated prosecutions brought by the military.
Current security in the country poses a major obstacle to holding the elections, as the military is believed to control less than half of the territory.
Previously, the military government claimed that elections would be held primarily in areas under their control.
In October, the military attempted to conduct a census that it said would compile voter lists for the general election, but it was able to collect data from only 145 of 330 localities.
A report released by the military government said areas where the census was not completed included towns controlled by ethnic armed groups and pro-democracy guerrillas.
The Government of National Unity (GNU), Myanmar's main opposition force, has signalled its intention to prevent military-led elections through non-violent means.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
