Myanmars military junta is holding general elections in three phases starting this Sunday, December twenty-eighth, twenty twenty-five, the first vote in nearly four years since the army seized power in a coup. The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party is the clear frontrunner, facing little real competition amid a raging civil war. Critics, including the United Nations, Western countries, and human rights groups, call the polls a sham, not free, fair, or credible. Key opposition parties arent even competing, and Nobel winner Aung San Suu Kyi remains locked up after her landslide win in twenty twenty. Mass protests after the coup turned into armed rebellion, with fighting still fierce in many areas. Voters on the streets of big cities like Yangon seem dejected, with one thirty-one-year-old man saying no matter who he picks, the military party will win anyway. The voting rolls out over three Sundays, but the military doesnt control everywhere, and UN human rights chief Volker Turk warns theres no room for free speech or assembly in this violent climate. State media hails it as a new chapter of hope and rebuilding, but the campaign feels flat with no real buzz. Analysts say holding elections during war is risky, and any resulting government will struggle for international legitimacy.

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