Military council leader Min Aung Hlaing, during his visit to Belarus, announced that elections would only be held at the end of this year or in January 2026, marking five years since the military coup. He made this announcement during a press conference following his meeting with the President of Belarus on March 7. The military leader stated that they are planning to hold elections at the earliest in December 2025 or January 2026.
According to military sources in Naypyidaw, Min Aung Hlaing intends to serve a full five-year term as the head of the caretaker government and has frequently indicated that he could continue serving another term depending on his health condition and the country’s needs. Military sources suggest that he plans to remain involved in political processes even after the elections. During the press conference in Belarus, Min Aung Hlaing revealed that 53 political parties have registered for the military-planned elections.
However, political analysts point out that since these elections will be held under military council control, they will not be free and fair, but rather serve as an attempt to legitimize the military dictatorship. The announcement comes as the military council continues to face widespread resistance across the country, with many viewing the planned elections as a mechanism to extend military rule rather than a genuine democratic process. The military council’s approach to organizing elections while maintaining strict control over the political process has been widely criticized by both domestic and international observers as an attempt to create a facade of democratic legitimacy while preserving military dominance over the country’s political institutions.
