MYANMAR JUNTA’S PLANNED ELECTIONS: FALLING SHORT OF DEMOCRATIC LEGITIMACY the UEC to declare elections “successful” regardless of the situation on the ground. The integrity of advance voting under the military-appointed UEC and other relevant state agencies is questionable in the absence of procedural safeguards and independent scrutiny. Applicable international standards: • United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, principle 22: “Internally displaced persons, whether or not they are living in camps, shall not be discriminated against as a result of their displacement in the enjoyment of the following rights: [...] (d) the right to vote and to participate in governmental and public affairs, including the right to have access to the means necessary to exercise this right.” • Asian Electoral Stakeholder Forum II, Dili Indicators of Democratic Elections, item IV(g): “Local absentee voting mechanisms are provided for voters who cannot cast ballots in their assigned polling station on election day.” For more: • DVB, “Myanmar citizens living abroad refuse to vote in advanced polls prior to December 28 elections”, 24 August 2025, https:// english.dvb.no/myanmar-citizens-living-abroad-refuse-to-votein-advanced-polls-prior-to-december-28-elections/ • The Irrawaddy, “Overseas Myanmar Nationals Spurn Junta’s Advance-Voting Push”, 25 August 2025, https://www.irrawaddy. com/news/politics/overseas-myanmar-nationals-spurn-juntasadvance-voting-push.html 54