Myanmar's Junta Holds Controversial Election Amid Civil War

Myanmar's ruling military junta held elections on December 28, 2025, claiming the vote would provide a path to peace, though the polls were widely condemned as a 'sham' by the UN and human rights groups. The election marks the first attempt to restore civilian rule since the 2021 coup that ousted democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains imprisoned along with thousands of opponents. The ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party, backed by the junta, is expected to win as genuine opposition parties like Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy were dissolved and barred from running. The ongoing civil war means large areas of the country cannot vote, with recent junta airstrikes killing at least 33 people in Rakhine state and burning civilian homes in Mandalay's Mogok town. Polling stations opened in controlled areas while fighting continues across rebel-held territory.