Yangon: Voters in Myanmar lined up to cast their ballots today in the second of three phases of the election, following low voter turnout in the first phase. Myanmar's state-run MRTV television station reported images of Myanmar citizens queuing to vote at a polling station before dawn. This is the second phase of the election, following the first phase on December 28, 2025, where voter turnout was only 52.13 percent, lower than the 70 percent turnout in the last elections in 2020 and 2015, which the US-based nonprofit Foundation for Electoral Systems claimed. The final phase of the election will be held on January 25.
According to Thai News Agency, Myanmar's military junta held elections in 265 out of 330 townships nationwide, some of which are areas not entirely under government control, citing the elections as a means of achieving stability and a better future. The United Nations, Western nations, and human rights groups have criticized the military junta for using the elections to legitimize its rule. The vote count showed the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) sweeping 90 out of 102 seats in the House of Representatives in the first phase of the elections.
This election is the first since Myanmar's military staged a coup against the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. The US-based nonprofit, Accident and Location of Armed Conflict Information Project (ACLED), says at least 16,600 people have died in Myanmar since the coup, while the United Nations estimates that around 3.6 million people have been displaced.