2 | AN ELETION COMMISSION UNLAWFULLY INSTALLED constitution nor election laws empower the election management body with the authority to do so, even if it were properly appointed. U Thein Soe was replaced as UEC chair on 31 January 2024 by U Ko Ko, himself replaced on 31 July 2025 by U Than Soe. U Than Soe was first appointed as a UEC member by the junta on 26 February 2021, and now chairs the 14-member commission that will administer the elections on behalf of the military junta. ANFREL has repeatedly advocated for other election management bodies in Asia, as well as the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB), to stop any collaboration and sever their ties with the junta’s election commission. The junta’s Union Election Commission (UEC) is not an independent or legitimate body, but an organ of the Myanmar military without a legal mandate to hold elections. Lawfully appointed election officials were illegally arrested and jailed after the coup. Applicable international standards: • UN Human Rights Committee, CCPR General Comment No. 25, paragraph 20: “An independent electoral authority should be established to supervise the electoral process and to ensure that it is conducted fairly, impartially and in accordance with established laws which are compatible with the Covenant.” • Asian Electoral Stakeholder Forum II, Dili Indicators of Democratic Elections, item III(a)(1): “Appointment of election management body officials is based on a just, impartial and transparent process.” • Inter-Parliamentary Union, Declaration on Criteria for Free and Fair Elections, Article 4(2): “States should take the necessary policy and institutional steps to ensure the progressive achievement and consolidation of democratic goals, including 15