STORY
The UK Government has issued a firm statement saying that holding elections in Myanmar under the current conditions risks provoking further violence and deepening the country’s ongoing crisis. Speaking at a United Nations forum, the UK’s representative expressed serious concern about the military-organised polls slated to begin this month, highlighting that they are taking place amid intense conflict, widespread repression and a fractured political landscape.
Myanmar’s military seized power in a 2021 coup, overthrowing the elected government and triggering a civil war that has cost thousands of lives and displaced millions. The planned elections are intended by the junta to confer legitimacy on its rule, but critics both inside and outside Myanmar describe them as a sham, with major opposition parties barred, key leaders imprisoned and many areas of the country excluded from voting because of fighting and insecurity. Observers fear that these conditions make a genuinely free and fair vote impossible and could further inflame tensions.
The UK’s message aligns with broader international scepticism and the United Nations human rights office has warned that the electoral process is unfolding amid threats, arrests and violence, whilst civil society and opposition groups have condemned the polls as illegitimate.