![\"A](\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/gettyimages-2205529799.jpg?c=original&q=w_860,c_fill\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nA soldier from the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF), a main armed group fighting the military, walks to a reconnaissance mission. Thierry Falise\/LightRocket\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A collective of international election experts<\/a> said a genuine election in Myanmar \u201cis impossible under the current conditions,\u201d in a joint statement released by the umbrella organization International Idea. The experts pointed to \u201cdraconian legislation banning opposition political parties, the arrest and detention of political leaders and democracy activists, severe restrictions of the media, and the organization of an unreliable census by the junta as a basis for the voter list.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Others say they cannot trust the military when it continues its campaign of violence, and when its history is littered with false promises of reform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Details on the election process are thin, but many citizens could be casting their votes in an active conflict zone or under the eyes of armed soldiers \u2013 a terrifying prospect that some say could lead to more violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Junta bombs have destroyed homes, schools, markets, places of worship and hospitals, and are a primary cause of the displacement of more than 3.5 million people across the country since the coup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are fears that those in junta-controlled areas will be threatened or coerced into voting. And some townships may never get to vote, given the junta\u2019s lack of control over large swathes of the country outside its heartland and major cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the country\u2019s most powerful ethnic armed groups, the Arakan Army, has said it will not allow elections to be held in territories it controls, which includes most of western Rakhine state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In pictures: Aung San Suu Kyi<\/p>\n\n\n\n 37 photos<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aung San Suu Kyi poses for a portrait in Yangon, Myanmar, in 2010. A month earlier, she had been released from house arrest. Drn\/Getty Images<\/p>\n\n\n\n And the National Unity Government, an exiled administration which considers itself the legitimate government of Myanmar, has urged the people to \u201coppose and resist\u201d participating in the poll, saying the junta \u201cdoes not have the right or authority to conduct elections.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are also signs the military is moving to consolidate its power in those parts of the country it does not control. As it rescinded the nationwide state of emergency, it also imposed martial law in more than 60 townships \u2013 giving the military increased powers in resistance strongholds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe military has been pushing hard to reclaim the territories it has lost, but regaining consolidated control \u2014 especially in the lead-up to the elections \u2014 will be a near impossibility within such a short timeframe,\u201d said Ye Myo Hein, a senior fellow at the Southeast Asia Peace Institute, based in Washington DC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cInstead, holding elections amid this perilous context is likely to trigger even greater violence and escalate conflict nationwide.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Already, there are moves to further quash dissent ahead of the poll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A new law criminalizes criticism of the election, threatening long prison sentences for those opposing or disrupting the vote. And a new cybercrime law expands the regime\u2019s online surveillance powers, banning unauthorized use of VPNs and targeting users who access or share content from prohibited social media sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Min Aung Hlaing recently formed a new governing body, the National Security and Peace Commission (NSPC), replacing the previous State Administration Council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The junta chief also has added chairman of the new regime to the roster of titles he now holds, which includes acting President and chief of the armed forces. And the new interim administration is stacked with loyalists and active military officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The move was \u201cnothing more than an old trick \u2014 putting old wine in a new bottle,\u201d said Ye Myo Hein.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe military has used such tactics many times throughout its history to create the illusion of change\u2026 The military junta, led by Min Aung Hlaing, remains firmly in the driver\u2019s seat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It has been here before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Myanmar has been governed by successive military regimes since 1962, turning a once prosperous nation into an impoverished pariah state home to some of the world\u2019s longest running insurgencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A military soldier (L) stands in front of a pile of seized illegal drugs during a destruction ceremony in Yangon on June 26, 2025. Sai Aung Main\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2008, the military regime pushed ahead with constitutional reform that paved the way for a semi-civilian government to take power, while preserving its significant influence on the country\u2019s politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What followed was a decade of limited democratic reform and freedoms that brought greater foreign investment \u2013- including the return of global brands like Coca-cola \u2013 and engagement with western nations. A generation of young Myanmar nationals began to dream of a different future to their parents and grandparents, as investment and opportunities poured in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the military never really gave up political power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When state counselor Aung San Suu Kyi\u2019s party stormed to a second term victory in the 2020 election, it came as a surprise to some military figures, who had hoped<\/a> their own proxy party might take power democratically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The former democracy icon was detained during a coup the following year, tried by a military court and sentenced to 27 years in prison. The 80-year-old\u2019s exact whereabouts is still <\/strong>a tightly guarded secret, and the junta has sought to ensure Suu Kyi and her popular, but now dissolved, NLD party would be politically wiped out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By presenting itself as a civilian government, analysts say the military will also try to convince some countries to normalize ties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Russia and China are two of Myanmar\u2019s biggest backers, and Thailand and India have pushed for more engagement with the junta to end the crisis on their borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n China\u2019s foreign ministry last Thursday said it \u201csupports Myanmar\u2019s development path in line with its national conditions and Myanmar\u2019s steady advancement of its domestic political agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In recent weeks, Min Aung Hlaing had unexpectedly good news from the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\nVoting in a war zone<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Aung](\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/210201102010-02-aung-san-suu-kyi-2010.jpg?q=w_860,c_fill\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nLike \u2018putting old wine in a new bottle\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/gettyimages-2221407809.jpg?c=original&q=w_860,c_fill\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nInternational recognition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Members](\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/gettyimages-2183997722.jpg?c=original&q=w_860,c_fill\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n