MYANMAR JUNTA’S PLANNED ELECTIONS: FALLING SHORT OF DEMOCRATIC LEGITIMACY the Tatmadaw, enabled by deliveries of jet fuel to the junta despite calls for an international embargo, resulted in more civilians being killed or injured in 2024 than during the three previous years combined. The violence is such that political parties and candidates are taking extraordinary measures to ensure their safety. Those who can afford it are allegedly purchasing bulletproof vehicles and jackets to campaign in, while others are expressing concerns about sufficient security for inperson campaigning. Some parties will reportedly deploy armed security personnel as part of the junta’s election security arrangements. While there are historical precedents for elections taking place in wartime, the situation in Myanmar is far from conventional, as the military junta is pushing for elections while at the same time waging war on its own population, creating mass suffering, displacement, and fear. No genuine election can take place amid a backdrop of such widespread and egregious violence. It is essential that the military junta step down and hostilities stop across the country before any elections can be considered. For more: • ACLED, “The war from the sky: How drone warfare is shaping the conflict in Myanmar”, 1 July 2025, https://acleddata.com/report/ war-sky-how-drone-warfare-shaping-conflict-myanmar • ACLED, “Conflict Index”, https://acleddata.com/series/acledconflict-index • ISP-Myanmar, “80 Civilian Massacres In Post-Coup Myanmar”, 14 May 2025, https://ispmyanmar.com/80-civilian-massacresin-post-coup-myanmar/ 26