BANGKOK, Thailand: A free and fair election in Myanmar remains “impossible to imagine,” stated US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice Beth Van Schaack on Friday.
This comes as the junta continues to push plans for elections, despite ongoing civil conflict and widespread dissent since the military seized power in 2021.
The military’s coup, citing unproven allegations of electoral fraud, has been followed by severe crackdowns, including arrests, killings, and the dissolution of political parties, such as Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy.
Van Schaack emphasized that any forthcoming election would likely be engineered to keep the military in power, rendering it neither free nor credible. With intense conflict and fighting across much of the country, she stressed that logistical challenges make even holding an election unfeasible, let alone a fair one.
Despite these issues, Myanmar’s military chief Min Aung Hlaing has reiterated plans for new elections, backed by China, which continues to support the junta’s roadmap for “democratic transition.” However, leaders at the recent ASEAN summit criticized the junta’s peace efforts as “substantially inadequate.” As Myanmar remains embroiled in civil war, the prospect of legitimate elections appears increasingly distant.
