Jeremy Laurence, a spokesperson for the UN human rights office, OHCHR, told reporters in Geneva that voting is expected to begin on 28 December, in what he described as a military-controlled ballot conducted in an environment “rife with threats and violence” and actively suppressed political participation.
Many major political parties have been excluded and more than 30,000 political opponents – including members of the democratically elected government and political representatives – have been detained since the 2021 coup.
“Far from being a process that could spearhead a political transition from crisis to stability and the restoration of democratic and civilian rule, this process seems nearly certain to further ingrain insecurity, fear and polarisation throughout the country,” Mr. Laurence said.
“The utmost priority must be to end the violence and ensure the flow of humanitarian aid.”
Civilians caught in the middle
Speaking from Bangkok, James Rodehaver, head of OHCHR’s Myanmar team, said the elections are being pushed through in an environment where civilians are caught between pressure from the military to vote and aggressive efforts by armed opposition groups to prevent participation.
The junta has claimed it issued some 4,000 pardons for people charged or convicted of sedition or incitement. But Mr. Rodehaver said such announcements rarely match reality.
Of the roughly 4,000 people convicted, only about 550 have been seen leaving detention centres, while others were freed only to be rearrested. At the same time, the military has boasted of arresting more than 100 people under newly imposed “election protection rules.”
OHCHR has credible information that three young people were sentenced to 49 years in prison for hanging posters showing a ballot box with a bullet.
AI and biometric tracking
Mr. Rodehaver also raised concerns over the electronic-only voting system, introduced alongside expanded surveillance using artificial intelligence and biometric tracking, warning that it risks further undermining trust in the process.
Humanitarian access is also deteriorating, with civilians forced to return to villages to vote despite insecurity, while the military continues a long-standing practice of blocking aid to conflict-affected areas. Nearly 23,000 people remain in detention who “should not have been arrested in the first place,” he said.
The UN rights officials noted that the military is presenting the vote as a sign the crisis is ending, despite the Secretary-General’s warning in October that under current conditions any elections “risk further exclusion and instability.”
Millions across Myanmar have been displaced by fighting and disasters and are now sheltering in IDP camps.
‘A charade’
Beyond the concerns raised by the UN officials, the independent rights expert on Myanmar has issued an even starker warning about the junta’s election plans.
In his October 2025 report to the General Assembly, Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews said the international community should “unequivocally reject and denounce the charade” of the junta’s planned elections.
Mr. Andrews – who is appointed and mandated by the Human Rights Council and is not a UN staff member – said recent institutional changes by the military were merely “cosmetic,” designed to reposition the junta for its election ploy while power remains concentrated in the hands of military leaders.
Key opposition figures – including Aung San Suu Kyi – remain imprisoned, and at least 40 political parties, including the National League for Democracy (NLD), have been dissolved.
New electoral laws criminalise dissent, restrict digital expression and impose harsh penalties for perceived election “disruption,” while vast areas of the country remain outside military control, making a nationwide vote impossible, the report said.
“Elections held on the junta’s terms will only deepen division and fuel further violence,” Mr. Andrews warned, adding that while the people of Myanmar are expected to “reject the results as illegitimate”, the junta’s true target audience is foreign governments whose recognition it seeks.
