Armed Groups Threaten Junta’s Election Plans in Southern Myanmar

MOI

Armed resistance groups in southern Myanmar have issued a stark warning to the military junta: proceed with planned elections, and face armed retaliation.

On Sunday, the Mon State Revolutionary Force (MSRF) and Ye People’s Defense Force declared their outright rejection of the regime’s proposed vote, expected in December or January. The groups accused the junta of attempting to stage a sham election to legitimise its rule, and vowed to target any officials involved.

“Under the guidelines of the Mon State Federal Council, we will militarily take action against the junta-planned election,” MSRF spokesperson Mi Tala Nyan told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday.

The junta is currently training staff in Mon State and the neighbouring Tanintharyi Region to use electronic voting machines, including in towns like Mudon, where photos of sessions emerged over the weekend. But resistance groups say such efforts are meaningless in areas they control—or contest.

The Karen National Union (KNU), a powerful ethnic force, remains a key opponent of the junta’s political roadmap. It rejected the previous election plan in 2023 and recently helped defeat regime troops near Sone See Myaing, close to the Thai border. While the KNU has yet to comment on this latest election timeline, it continues to hold substantial territory across Karen, Mon, and Bago regions.

The Democratic Karen Benevolent Army, which signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement in 2015, has also stated it will not allow voting in its territory, citing instability and lack of credible electoral infrastructure.

Despite the junta-appointed Union Election Commission’s claim that voting could take place in 267 out of 330 townships, ground realities paint a very different picture. The civilian National Unity Government argues that at least 144 townships are under resistance control, with a further 79 experiencing active conflict.

In Mandalay Region’s Myingyan District, locals told The Irrawaddy that only the main town could plausibly host an election. “The junta might be able to conduct voting in Myingyan town, where their forces and militias are based, but not in the countryside,” one resident said.

With large swathes of the country outside junta control and threats mounting from all sides, the regime’s path to the ballot box looks increasingly perilous.

-2025-07-24