\n
Thursday\u2019s statement from Tom Andrews, the UN Human Rights Council-appointed Special Rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, reinforces earlier warnings from senior UN officials that the polls lack any democratic credibility.<\/p>\n
The initial phase of voting on 28 December exposed what he described as a \u201cjunta-orchestrated sham\u201d designed to entrench military rule rather than reflect the will of the people.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy all measures, this is not a free, fair nor legitimate election,<\/strong>\u201d he said. \u201cIt is a theatrical performance that has exerted enormous pressure on the people of Myanmar to participate in what has been designed to dupe the international community.\u201d<\/p>\nMr. Andrews \u2013 who is not a UN staff member and does not speak on behalf of the Secretariat \u2013 urged Member States to reject the process, isolate the junta and press its leaders to cancel the remaining two phases of voting.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe international community should make clear that Myanmar\u2019s future belongs to its people,<\/strong>\u201d Mr. Andrews added, \u201cnot to those who imprison, silence and terrorise them.\u201d<\/p>\nMyanmar\u2019s military authorities planned the staged voting process nearly five years after they seized power in a February 2021 coup.<\/p>\n
Since then, the country has descended into widespread armed conflict pitting the ruling military against numerous ethnic armed groups, triggering mass displacement, economic collapse and deepening humanitarian needs, further compounded by devastating earthquakes in March 2025.<\/p>\n
Two further rounds are scheduled for 11 and 25 January, although the junta has already ruled out holding polls in at least 65 townships and thousands of wards and village tracts, underscoring its lack of control over large parts of the country.<\/p>\n
Very low turnout reported<\/h2>\n
According to reports cited by the independent expert in a press release, voter turnout in the first round was very low despite threats and intimidation.<\/p>\n
The National League for Democracy, which won sweeping victories in the 2015 and 2020 elections, was barred from participating after being dissolved by the military. Its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been detained since the coup, and her whereabouts and current condition remain unknown.<\/p>\n
Official results indicate that the junta\u2019s proxy, the Union Solidarity and Development Party, won nearly 90 per cent of contested seats in the lower house of parliament.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt should surprise no one that the military-backed party has claimed a landslide victory,<\/strong>\u201d Mr. Andrews said. \u201cThe junta engineered the polls to ensure victory for its proxy, entrench military domination, and manufacture a facade of legitimacy while violence and repression continue unabated.\u201d<\/p>\nThreats and coercion<\/h2>\n
Mr. Andrews said junta forces have used the threat of conscription to compel young people to vote. \u201cThis is not political participation; it is coercion,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Displaced people, students, civil servants and prisoners were also reportedly pressured to participate under threats of being denied humanitarian aid, education, immigration documents and other essential services.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou cannot have a free, fair or credible election when thousands of political prisoners are behind bars<\/strong>, credible opposition parties have been dissolved, journalists are muzzled, and fundamental freedoms are crushed,\u201d Mr. Andrews said.<\/p>\nMr. Andrews also called on all armed groups to refrain from targeting civilians following reports of deadly attacks on election officials. \u201cAttacks against civilians, by any combatants, are illegal and unacceptable,<\/strong>\u201d he said.<\/p>\nDeep concerns<\/h2>\n
UN officials have repeatedly cautioned that elections held under current conditions risk worsening instability.<\/p>\n
Ahead of the vote, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker T\u00fcrk warned that civilians were being compelled from all sides in a climate of fear, violence and mass repression, leaving no space for free or meaningful participation.<\/p>\n
Special Rapporteurs are independent experts mandated and appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor and report on human rights situations. They are not UN staff, do not speak on behalf of the UN Secretariat and do not receive a salary for their work.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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