In June, Myanmar’s junta accelerated preparations for a so-called “national election,” openly exploiting the language of democratic transition to consolidate authoritarian rule. Announced for late 2025 or early 2026, the election plan has no legal basis under international law and violates Myanmar’s constitutional norms, as the military seized power unlawfully and has since dissolved nearly all opposition parties, including the National League for Democracy. The junta-controlled Union Election Commission (UEC) has initiated voter list compilation and showcased electronic voting machines in an attempt to simulate legitimacy, while redrawing township boundaries to fabricate administrative control over contested territory.
Despite controlling only a fraction of the country, an estimated 79 townships are active conflict zones, and over 140 are under resistance control, the junta claims the capacity to hold elections in 267 townships. In Karenni State, where over 90 percent of territory is administered by the Karenni Interim Government, junta forces have staged election “workshops” under armed guard. In Shan State, military-aligned militias have forcibly relocated entire communities in apparent preparation for polling, while residents in junta-controlled areas report coercion and fear of reprisal for refusing to participate.
Why it matters:
This so-called election is a strategic disinformation campaign designed to transform the junta from a de facto military regime into a de jure “government,” under the 2008 constitution that entrenches military supremacy. Participation or even passive recognition by international actors risks legitimizing a violent usurpation of power. The international community must make clear that no election held under military rule, amid systematic atrocity crimes, can be free, fair, or legitimate. A credible political transition in Myanmar cannot occur without the military’s withdrawal from political life, the release of political prisoners, and inclusive participation of all ethnic and democratic actors.
Child Soldier Recruitment Surges as Junta Expands Forced Conscription
On 19 June, the UN Secretary-General released his annual report on children and armed conflict, listing the Myanmar military for five of six grave violations. The report documented over 2,100 verified violations in 2024 alone, including the recruitment of at least 1,800 children, many forcibly conscripted since the junta activated the 2010 Military Service Law in February 2024. Although the law sets conscription ages at 18 and above, numerous reports indicate widespread recruitment of children as young as 12. Military recruiters have abducted children, falsified ages, and sent them to the frontlines, where they are used not only as combatants but also as porters and human shields.
The junta has reportedly organized 14 batches of conscripts since April 2024, approximately 70,000 individuals, many drawn from impoverished, displaced, or undocumented communities. Rohingya Muslims, despite being denied citizenship and excluded from conscription by law, have been subjected to forced enlistment and coercive recruitment. These practices are in direct violation of Myanmar’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and constitute war crimes under the Rome Statute.
Why it matters:
The recruitment and use of child soldiers is a clear violation of international humanitarian and human rights law. The scale and regularity of these violations underscore the junta’s desperation and its complete abandonment of international norms. Enforcement of targeted sanctions, criminal accountability under international law, and immediate action by the Security Council are imperative. States must also support survivor rehabilitation and invest in demobilization programs through non-state actors in liberated areas.