Amid the raging Myanmar civil war, the ruling military junta has pledged to hold elections in 2025, though expectations for fairness are extremely low. To this end, the junta-appointed Union Election Commission (UEC) has been demonstrating the use of Myanmar Electronic Voting Machines (MEVM) in several regions, including Yangon, Mandalay, Ayeyarwaddy, and Bago. Earlier, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing hinted that the upcoming election may not be held nationwide and could be limited to certain regions.

Opposition parties, including Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD), which handed the military a resounding defeat in the 2020 polls, have been forcibly dissolved and banned from running. The election is already rigged in favor of the junta, as only parties approved by the regime are permitted to participate. All political parties were required to register under the Political Party Registration Law, which imposed tight deadlines that most opposition groups missed. Additionally, the law bans anyone with a criminal conviction from holding office, disqualifying many opposition members, including Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, both of whom have been imprisoned since the 2021 coup.

The Political Party Registration Law also bars any party that has been involved in “unlawful association” or labeled a “terrorist organization” under current laws. The junta has already designated the opposition National Unity Government (NUG) and its parliamentary body, the Committee Representing the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (Union Parliament), as “terrorist organizations” due to their alleged involvement in attacks against the military since the coup.