Many major political parties have been excluded and more than 30,000 political opponents (including members of the democratically elected government and political representatives) have been detained since the 2021 coup.
“Far from being a process that could spearhead a political transition from crisis to stability and the reestablishment of democratic and civil government, this process seems almost certain to further entrench insecurity, fear and polarization throughout the country.Mr. Laurence said.
“The top priority must be to end the violence and ensure the flow of humanitarian aid.”
Civilians caught in the middle
Speaking from Bangkok, James Rodehaver, head of OHCHR’s Myanmar team, said: The elections are taking place in an environment where civilians are caught between pressure from the military to vote and aggressive efforts by armed opposition groups to prevent participation..
The junta has said it granted some 4,000 pardons to people accused or convicted of sedition or incitement. But Rodehhaver said such announcements rarely match reality.
Of the approximately 4,000 people convicted, only about 550 have been seen leaving detention centers, while others were released only to be rearrested. At the same time, the military has boasted of having arrested more than 100 people under newly imposed “election protection regulations.”
OHCHR has credible information that three young men were sentenced to 49 years in prison for hanging posters showing a ballot box with a bullet.
AI and biometric tracking
Mr. Rodehaver also raised Concerns over electronic-only voting system, introduced alongside expanded surveillance using artificial intelligence and biometric tracking.warning that it risks further undermining confidence in the process.
Humanitarian access is also deteriorating, with civilians forced to return to villages to vote despite insecurity, while the military continues a long-standing practice of blocking aid to conflict-affected areas. Nearly 23,000 people remain detained and “should not have been arrested in the first place,” he said.
U.N. human rights officials noted that the military is presenting the vote as a sign that the crisis is ending, despite the Secretary-General’s warning in October that under current conditions any election “risks further exclusion and instability.”
Millions of people across Myanmar have been displaced by fighting and disasters and are now taking refuge in internally displaced persons camps.
‘A farce’
Beyond the concerns expressed by UN officials, the independent human rights expert on Myanmar has issued an even harsher warning about the junta’s election plans.
In his October 2025 report to the General Assembly, Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews said the international community should “unequivocally reject and denounce the sham” of the junta’s planned elections.
Andrews – who is appointed and mandated by the Human Rights Council and is not a UN staff member – said recent institutional changes made by the military were merely “cosmetic,” designed to reposition the junta for its electoral ploy while power remains concentrated in the hands of military leaders.
Key opposition figures – including Aung San Suu Kyi – remain imprisoned and At least 40 political parties, including the National League for Democracy (NLD), have been dissolved..
New electoral laws criminalize dissent, restrict digital expression and impose harsh penalties for perceived electoral “disruption,” while vast areas of the country remain outside military control, making a nationwide vote impossible, the report said.
“Elections held on the junta’s terms will only deepen division and fuel more violence,Mr. Andrews warned, adding that while the people of Myanmar are expected to “reject the results as illegitimate,” the junta’s true target audience is the foreign governments whose recognition it seeks.