Election Ploy: Power Dressed as Progress
On December 28, 2025, Myanmar’s military junta—now calling itself the State Security and Peace Commission (SSPC)—plans to hold national “elections.” The generals parade this move as proof of stability and reform.
But behind the banners and promises, it’s just a desperate bid to tighten their grip and silence global outrage. “They want to show the world they’re changing,” says one Yangon resident, “but nothing changes for us.”
Democracy in Name Only: Fear Behind the Polls
The junta’s talk of democracy is a cruel illusion. Since seizing power in February 2021, they’ve crushed dissent, jailed thousands—including Aung San Suu Kyi—and left the streets soaked in fear.
Any vote under these conditions is a charade. “How can we call this a real election?” asks a former teacher. “We’re voting with guns pointed at us.” Free speech and safety are non-existent. The ballot box is just another tool for the generals to cling to power.
Laws as Weapons: Crushing Dissent, Silencing Hope
New “election laws” threaten anyone who disrupts the process with prison—or even death. Opposition groups are branded “terrorists” and banned outright. The National League for Democracy, which swept the 2020 polls, is dissolved by force.
There is no competition—only intimidation. The junta twists the law to silence critics and erase any real alternative. “This isn’t democracy,” says a rights activist. “It’s dictatorship in disguise.”
Life Under Siege: Hunger, Fear and Displacement
Much of Myanmar is under martial law. Airstrikes destroy hospitals, schools and temples. The United Nations reports over 3.5 million people displaced, with more than 15.5 million facing hunger.
Families live in terror as aid is blocked or used as a bargaining chip. “We’re starving, hiding, and they talk about elections,” says a mother in hiding. These polls are an insult to democracy—a cruel show staged while the nation bleeds.
The Dialogue Trap: Peace or Surrender?
Some embassies and NGOs urge talks between the junta and resistance. But dialogue without rights is surrender, not reconciliation. “How can we trust those who bomb their own people?” asks a student activist.
Pushing for talks on the generals’ terms only strengthens their hand. Real peace demands justice and respect for human rights. Anything less prolongs the nightmare.
Global Hypocrisy: Profits Trump Principles
Myanmar’s agony exposes the world’s retreat from democracy. Authoritarian regimes grow bolder as former champions of rights stay silent. “Stability” and “business opportunities” now outweigh freedom and justice.
Every trade deal with the junta sends a chilling message: profits matter more than lives. The US, EU and UK speak of “rules-based order,” but these words ring hollow as they turn a blind eye to Myanmar’s suffering.
Revolution Endures: People Build True Democracy
Five years after the coup, the Spring Revolution refuses to die. Despite thousands dead and millions displaced, the people’s resolve remains unbroken.
Across ethnic regions and urban undergrounds, new democratic structures take root. Civil groups organise schools, clinics and security in liberated areas. Young people dream up a future beyond military rule.
No Justice, No Peace: The World Must Choose
Now is the moment for moral clarity. Will the world back a criminal junta’s sham election, or stand with a people fighting for dignity and freedom?
There must be no recognition, no observers, no congratulations for this farce. Only tough sanctions, the release of all political prisoners, and free access for aid can offer Myanmar hope. Without justice, there is no peace—and no future for a free society.
