Myanmar’s Military-Run Elections: A Dangerous Facade Amid Conflict and Repression

On January 8, Myanmar proceeded with the second phase of its first general election in five years—an exercise overshadowed by pervasive armed conflict and an unrelenting crackdown on dissent. In a country fractured by civil war between the military junta and multiple armed opposition groups, this so-called democratic process looks less like a genuine vote and more like a calculated attempt to legitimize authoritarian rule. How Free Can an Election Be Amid Gunfire and Political Prisoners? The polling opened in over 100 townships across Myanmar, including regions rife with recent clashes under heightened military security. Yet even as ballots were...