MYANMAR JUNTA’S PLANNED ELECTIONS: FALLING SHORT OF DEMOCRATIC LEGITIMACY of Tedim, with the rest of the township controlled by either the Chin Brotherhood or the Chinland Council10, two rivaling anti-junta factions. Regardless of ongoing junta offensives, it is improbable that the UEC would be able to conduct voter registration, an election campaign, and voting in more than a small fraction of the township. While Min Aung Hlaing previously declared that “it is necessary to hold elections in more than 50 percent of constituencies in states and regions11” for the elections to be considered “successful”, he was referring to the quorum of over 50% of “Hluttaw representatives who have the right to attend” required to convene the new parliament, as stated in Article 85 of the 2008 constitution, and the junta’s UEC is not bound to effectively hold elections in half of the country. The junta does not need to organize widespread, inclusive, or even remotely representative elections for them to be considered valid under its legal framework. The elections staged by the junta will be held only in urban centers and areas under military control, excluding many voters and areas even within townships where elections have been announced. 10 11 34 See ISP-Myanmar, “Chin Resistance Groups Control 80 Percent of Chin State”, 24 July 2025, https:// ispmyanmar.com/mp-106/ From a January 2023 National Defence and Security Council meeting, see https://www. seniorgeneralminaunghlaing.com.mm/en/29433/national-defence-security-council-republic-union-myanmarholds-meeting-12023/