Mizzima-Oct 1
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) has warned that Myanmar’s military junta is preparing to stage elections that fall short of democratic legitimacy, releasing a report on 30 September that argues the planned vote cannot be regarded as credible under international standards. The report, Myanmar Junta’s Planned Elections: Falling Short of Democratic Legitimacy, details 15 areas where the process violates basic democratic principles. It concludes that the polls announced for 28 December 2025, will unfold in an atmosphere of “widespread violence, restrictive laws, and intense repression,” with no independent oversight and only junta-approved political parties competing. The junta’s five-point roadmap promised to hold “free and fair multiparty democratic elections” once the state of emergency ended. After seven consecutive extensions, emergency rule expired in July 2025 and the regime rebranded itself as the State Security and Peace Commission, an “interim government” tasked with overseeing the vote. But ANFREL’s assessment finds that the promised elections will be marred by systemic flaws. These include the introduction of untested electronic voting machines, curbs on freedom of assembly and expression, exclusion of independent media and civil society monitors, and an electoral framework designed to secure the military’s grip on power. The report indicates that far from resolving Myanmar’s political crisis, the widely perceived “sham elections” are likely to deepen divisions and prolong suffering. Read more at: https://eng.mizzima.com/2025/10/01/26861
