EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Since they unlawfully took power on 1 February 2021 and imprisoned civilian leaders and election officials, Myanmar’s armed forces (Tatmadaw) and junta leader Min Aung Hlaing have repeatedly promised new elections to “resolve” the ongoing political crisis and shore up legitimacy for a new régime of their design. This strategy was laid out in the State Administration Council’s (SAC) five-point roadmap1, where the first item was the nomination of a new Union Election Commission (UEC) to scrutinize the 2020 voter lists, and the last was the holding of “free and fair multiparty democratic elections” once the state of emergency ended, with the winning party taking over state duties from the military junta. Min Aung Hlaing had initially hoped to hold these elections within one year of his power grab, but his plans were derailed by widespread fighting and protests against military rule. A new target date, August 20232, then came and went without elections being announced as the country fell deeper into conflict and the military council entrenched itself in Naypyidaw. Almost five years after the coup, Min Aung Hlaing’s attempts at normalization of military rule have all but failed, but he has not given up on his election plans. While the situation in Myanmar is more precarious and polarized than ever, the nationwide state of emergency ended on 31 July 2025 after seven consecutive extensions, and the first of several election phases was announced for 28 December. Meanwhile, the SAC rebranded itself as the State Security and Peace Commission (SSPC), an “interim government” that will oversee the elections. 1 2 8 e.g. Global New Light of Myanmar, “Five-Point Road Map of the State Administration Council”, 13 July 2021, https://cdn.digitalagencybangkok.com/file/client-cdn/gnlm/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/13_July_21_gnlm. pdf Aljazeera, “Min Aung Hlaing says no Myanmar elections until 2023”, 1 August 2023, https://www.aljazeera.com/ news/2021/8/1/min-aung-hlaing-promises-myanmar-multi-party-elections-2023