The Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) spokesperson Colonel Naw Bu has explicitly stated that they will not allow the military council to conduct elections in territories under KIO control in Kachin State and Northern Shan State. While the military council leader Min Aung Hlaing has announced plans to hold nationwide elections in December, the KIO has not yet issued an official statement regarding these elections. However, they have firmly confirmed that any attempts by the military council to conduct elections within their controlled territories will be strictly prohibited.
The military council issued an announcement on July 5th inviting all armed groups, including People’s Defense Forces (PDF) who had chosen the armed resistance path, to participate in the elections. The announcement claimed that a free and fair multi-party democratic general election is the key pathway to building a union based on democracy and federalism. It further stated that continuing to pursue armed resistance would not benefit the state and would only result in democratic regression. However, Colonel Naw Bu clarified that while the KIO has not yet released an official statement regarding the military council’s elections, they will absolutely not permit ballot boxes or any election activities within KIO-controlled territories.
The military council’s announcement attempts to portray the upcoming election as a gateway to democracy and federalism, suggesting that armed resistance groups are hindering democratic progress. However, the KIO’s firm stance against allowing elections in their territories reflects their position that the military council’s electoral process cannot lead to genuine democracy and appears designed only to maintain the military dictatorship system. This rejection of the military council’s election plans in KIO-controlled areas represents a significant challenge to the junta’s attempts to legitimize their rule through what opposition groups view as a sham election process.
