Third Time's a Charm: Analyzing Myanmar's 2025 Elections

• In Event: Global Shifts in Party Politics and Power

Abstract

On February 1, 2021, a military coup rocked the country of Myanmar. The date was significant because it was the day the newly-elected democratic government was scheduled to convene for the first time. Instead, the military arrested members of Parliament and overturned the results of the 2020 general elections, which were generally believed to be free and fair. The junta promised to hold elections in 2023, but those too were cancelled after a series of emergency declarations as the military faced robust opposition by both civilians and armed ethnic groups. Now, after conducting a deeply flawed national census in 2024, the military claims that it will hold new elections in 2025. This paper will analyze the results and ramifications of the election if it indeed takes place in 2025, or will discuss the path forward in Myanmar if elections are cancelled or delayed again.

Author

• Nicole Loring, Southern New Hampshire University