SINGAPORE — Myanmar will begin its general elections on 28 December, its military government announced, in a phased poll widely condemned as a sham that will be used to entrench the junta's power.

This will be the first vote since the junta seized power in a bloody coup in 2021, and imprisoned democratically elected leader Aung San Sung Kyi.

Myanmar has been embroiled in a civil war since, with deadly battles between the military and ethnic armed groups, many of whom have said they would not permit voting in their areas.

Previous plans to hold an election were repeatedly delayed as the military has struggled to contain an opposition insurgency which has gained control over much of the country.

Some 55 parties have registered for the polls, state media said Monday, adding that nine of them plan to compete for seats nationwide.

"The first phase of the multi-party democratic general election for each parliament will begin on Sunday, 28 December 2025," Myanmar's election commission said in a statement.

"Dates for the subsequent phases will be announced later."

With large parts of Myanmar under opposition control and in a state of war, holding this election is a formidable logistical exercise for the country's military rulers.

But the junta's leader Min Aung Hlaing, who led the catastrophic coup four and a half years ago, has said the vote must go ahead, and has threatened severe punishment for anyone who criticises or obstructs the election.

The National League for Democracy, led by Suu Kyi, which won landslides in the two elections prior to the coup, will not be allowed to contest this one.

The planned election has been widely dismissed, but it has the support of Myanmar's most powerful neighbour China, which views stability in the South East Asian nation as a vital strategic interest.

Critics believe the junta will use the polls to maintain its power through proxy political parties.

Tom Andrews, the United Nation's special rapporteur on the rights situation in Myanmar, had in June accused the junta of designing a "mirage of an election exercise" to give itself a veneer of legitimacy.

Andrews called on the international community to reject the elections to "not allow the military junta to... get away with this fraud".

Thousands of people have been killed across Myanmar since the coup, which has destroyed the economy across much of the country and left a humanitarian vacuum.

Myanmar has also been hit by a devastating earthquake in March and international funding cuts, that have left vulnerable people in desperate and dangerous predicaments.

The junta would be "delusional" to think that an election held under the current circumstances will be considered "remotely credible", Human Rights Watch told the BBC earlier this year.

"As a precursor to elections, they need to end the violence, release all those arbitrarily detained, and allow all political parties to register and participate instead of dissolving opposition parties," the NGO said. — BBC