Myanmar's Controversial Election: Phase One Wracked by Violence and Doubts

Mon Dec 29 2025 11:50:37 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The first phase of Myanmar's disputed elections has concluded amidst significant unrest, with the military junta claiming legitimacy while observers decry the process as a sham.

As the first phase of elections in Myanmar wraps up, the military junta faces criticism over the legitimacy and conditions under which voting takes place. With major political parties banned and ongoing civil conflict affecting voter turnout, many question the very nature of this election. Reports of violence and a new law criminalizing dissent have further overshadowed the proceedings, leading to widespread condemnation from the international community.

The first of three phases of voting has finished in Myanmar, in an election widely dismissed as a sham, with major political parties dissolved, leaders jailed and as much as half the country not expected to vote due to an ongoing civil war.

The military government is holding a phased ballot nearly five years after it seized power in a coup, prompting widespread opposition and spiralling into civil war.

Observers say the junta, with China's support, is seeking to legitimise its power as it seeks a way out of the devastating stalemate.

More than 200 people have been charged for disrupting or opposing the polls under a new law which carries severe punishments, including the death penalty.

There were reports of explosions and air strikes across multiple regions as the first round of voting took place on Sunday. A rocket attack on an uninhabited house in the Mandalay region in the early hours of the morning injured three people, the region's chief minister told the BBC.

Separately, a series of explosions damaged more than 10 houses in the Myawaddy township, near the border with Thailand, late on Saturday. A resident told the BBC that a child was killed and three others were taken to hospital.

Voters have told the BBC that the election feels more disciplined and systematic than previous polls.

First-time voter Ei Pyay Phyo Maung, 22, said she was voting because she believed it is the responsibility of every citizen. My hope is for the lower classes - right now, the prices of goods are skyrocketing, and I want to support someone who can bring them down for those struggling the most, she said.

UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews on Sunday called on the international community to reject the election - saying nothing legitimate can come of it.

The military has been fighting on several fronts, against both armed resistance groups who oppose the coup and ethnic armies that have their own militias. It lost control of large parts of the country in a series of major setbacks but clawed back territory this year following relentless air strikes enabled by support from China and Russia.

The civil war has killed thousands of people, displaced millions more, destroyed the economy and left a humanitarian vacuum. Voting is set to take place in phases over the next month in 265 of the country's 330 townships, with the rest deemed too unstable. The next rounds of voting are scheduled for 11 and 25 January, with results expected around the end of the month.

Western governments, including that of the UK and the European Parliament, have dismissed the vote as a sham, while regional bloc Asean has called for political dialogue to precede any election.