Myanmar’s military government is set to conduct a nationwide population and household census in October, according to state media. This move is seen as a crucial step towards the junta’s promise to hold a general election next year, despite the ongoing civil war and widespread opposition to its rule.
The census data, collected between October 1st and 15th, will be utilized to compile voter lists for the upcoming election, as stated by junta chief Min Aung Hlaing. He emphasized the importance of accurate voter lists to ensure a “free and fair multi-party democratic general election.” However, the proposed election has been widely condemned as a sham by the international community. Dozens of political parties have been disbanded for refusing to register, including the dominant National League for Democracy (NLD), which was ousted by the junta in 2021.
Since the military coup in February 2021, Myanmar has been plunged into chaos. The junta’s claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election, which led to the coup, have been dismissed as baseless by the international community and many NLD leaders, including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, have been arrested.
The coup sparked widespread protests that were brutally suppressed, morphing into an armed resistance movement. This movement has joined forces with numerous established ethnic minority armies, posing the most significant challenge to the military in decades. The junta, however, claims that 27 of the registered parties have denounced the rebellion.
Despite these claims, the military government lacks effective control over much of the country. According to the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar, the junta has lost complete authority over townships covering 86% of the country’s territory, which is home to 67% of the population. This loss of control is further evidenced by the thousands of young people who have fled the country following the junta’s call for conscription to bolster its weakened forces.
Adding to the growing international scrutiny, China has pledged technological assistance for the census process, supporting the “all-inclusive election” as announced by junta media. However, the parallel National Unity Government (NUG), composed of former lawmakers and junta opponents, has called for the international community and neighboring countries to denounce both the election and the census process.
NUG spokesperson Kyaw Zaw stated that the junta’s true intention is to use the census as a tool for intimidation, claiming that they will collect information to be used for terrorizing the population. The upcoming election, heavily criticized as a sham and unlikely to be recognized by the international community, remains a key point of contention in Myanmar’s political landscape. The ongoing civil war and the junta’s increasingly precarious grip on power continue to raise concerns about the legitimacy and fairness of the planned election.
