Politics

With the junta overseeing the vote, much of the country out of government hands, and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in jail, the prospects for democracy seem bleak.

Min Aung Hlaing says observers from dictatorial Russia and Belarus will oversee an election he is promising in Myanmar. 

Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing vows Myanmar elections in Dec 2025 or Jan 2026, but critics warn of a sham vote amid ongoing conflict and mass displacement.

The Ta’ang National Liberation Army says the Chinese-brokered peace talks have been abandoned.

Despite assertions of international support, the regime’s proposed election finds favor only among a tiny handful of authoritarian allies and self-interested neighbors.

The interior and border affairs ministers have switched jobs in the government shakeup, while the woman given the thankless task of attracting tourists to war-torn Myanmar has been sacked.

Political parties cooperating with the regime have gathered in Naypyitaw to discuss the regime’s proposed election this year.

In an interview, Daw Zin Mar Aung discusses the challenges that lie ahead and the achievements of the anti-junta resistance in 2024.

Chairing the first cabinet meeting of the year, Min Aung Hlaing bemoans a population decline of nearly 4 million and blames a falling birthrate and mass emigration.

Karenni Nationalities Defence Force chairman Khun Bedu tells The Irrawaddy that victory feels within his grasp this year.