Junta election stalls in Chin and Rakhine states as military control shrinks

Myanmar’s junta-organised election has effectively ground to a halt in Chin and Rakhine states after the first phase of voting, according to official announcements and political parties. Balloting was confined to a handful of military-held urban centres as the regime had lost control over much of the two regions. Polling in both states took place only on December 28, and nationwide phases two and three—scheduled for January 11 and January 25—will proceed without Chin and Rakhine, the military-appointed Union Election Commission (UEC) has confirmed.This move underscores how the vote has been curtailed by ongoing fighting and shrinking junta control, sources say. As analysts expected, the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has won sweeping victories in the first phase based on results released by the regime. The UEC said one day before polling that voting could not proceed in three townships in Chin State, citing security concerns, and made a similar announcement for two townships in Sagaing Region. Although elections were initially planned for several Chin townships, including Hakha, Tedim, Thantlang, Falam and Tonzang, polling ultimately took place only in urban areas of Hakha and Tedim, with voting cancelled entirely in Thantlang, Falam and Tonzang, which are no longer under effective junta control.Voting was also absent in Matupi, Mindat, Kanpetlet and Paletwa, leaving just two of Chin State’s nine townships where polls were held. Falam, roughly 40 miles from Hakha, has been under Chin resistance control since April last year, despite a major junta offensive launched in October to retake the town.As of early January, junta forces have advanced to villages within about 15 miles of Falam, according to Salai Timmy Htut, the spokesperson of the Chin National Defence Force (CNDF). “There are clashes almost every day,” he said. “Sometimes the fighting is more intense, especially when they try to push forward. So far, we’ve managed to defend our positions as best we can.” He added that the military has relied heavily on air power, including Y-12 aircraft and fighter jets. “Since the offensive began, there have been hundreds—nearly a thousand—airstrikes in Falam Township alone,” he said. A polling station in Yangon on the evening of December 28, after voting concluded in the first phase of the junta-organised election (Photo: Myanmar Now) In Thantlang, a mountainous town, hundreds of homes were burned in 2022 after a military assault forced most of its roughly 10,000 residents to flee. The town has remained largely deserted since the attacks, and is now contested, with positions held by both junta forces and Chin resistance groups.Tonzang, in the far north of the state, has been under the control of Chin resistance forces for the past two years, according to local sources. “If there are no further announcements, then for Chin State, the election is essentially finished for now,” said an official of the Zomi National Party (ZNP), who declined to be named as he is not authorised to speak with the media. Preliminary results from the December 28 vote show the military-backed USDP winning four seats in Chin State, with the ZNP taking two. A Zomi party official said advance voting played a decisive role in the outcome. “Without advance ballots, the margins would have been much wider,” the officials said. “Because of advance votes, we only won narrowly—but a win is a win.” In Tedim, advance ballots helped the USDP secure victory by a margin of about 300 votes in the Pyithu Hluttaw, or lower house of the national assembly, the ZNP official said. Under results released by the UEC from January 2, the party’s Pyithu Hluttaw candidates were named as Van Ni in Hakha and Salai Aung Pyay in Tedim.Rights groups and independent observers have dismissed the junta’s election as neither free nor fair, citing widespread conflict, mass displacement, and the detention of opposition figures. Organisations including Human Rights Watch and the United Nations have said the military’s election lacks basic democratic conditions and cannot reflect the will of voters in areas beyond the junta’s control.In Rakhine, elections confined to three junta-held townships A similar pattern emerged in Rakhine State, where first-phase voting was limited to Sittwe, Kyaukphyu, and Manaung townships. Of the state’s 17 townships, 14 are controlled by the Arakan Army (AA), which barred elections in its areas. On December 27, the UEC formally excluded several Rakhine townships, including Ann, Gwa, Thandwe and Toungup, from national and state assembly races. As a result, polling was confined to the three townships still partly under military control, and even there it was uneven. Full voting took place only in Manaung, while polls were cancelled in one urban ward and 17 village tracts in Sittwe, and in five urban wards and 48 village tracts in Kyaukphyu. In the three townships where voting did occur, parties contesting seats included the Arakan Front Party (AFP) led by Dr. Aye Maung, the Rakhine Nationalities Party (RNP) led by Ba Shein, the USDP and several smaller parties. In the December 28 vote, Dr. Aye Maung lost his bid for an Amyotha Hluttaw, or upper house, seat in Sittwe to a USDP candidate, while RNP chair Ba Shein was defeated in Kyaukphyu. The UEC has said the RNP won one Pyithu Hluttaw seat in Manaung Township.Fighting continues in many rural parts of Sittwe and Kyaukphyu townships between junta forces and the AA, further diminishing any prospect of additional voting in Rakhine.

Junta election stalls in Chin and Rakhine states as military control shrinks

Polls were held only in a few military-controlled towns as fighting and resistance control forced widespread cancellations

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