Event Summary
In early January 2026, the Myanmar junta announced a sweeping crackdown on what it deems attempts to disrupt its orchestrated multi-phase election. The Central Committee for Security Supervision reported that by 5 January 2025, 335 individuals (275 men and 60 women) had been prosecuted under the junta’s repressive “Law on the Protection of Multiparty Democratic General Elections.”
The crackdown targeted a broad range of actions, from vandalizing candidate billboards and hanging protest banners to social media posts “misrepresenting the election.” The regime explicitly warned of continued actions as the later election phases proceed. Notable specific incidents include the one-year prison sentence for an electoral candidate who referenced the “2021 revolution” in a campaign video, the arrest of two women for bringing mobile phones into a polling station, and judicial threats from the Union Election Commission (UEC) chairman against candidates criticizing the junta’s proxy party, the USDP. The law mandates severe penalties, including life imprisonment or the death penalty for various offenses.