Myanmar’s long-promised general elections will take place in December or January next year at the earliest, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing said at a state-level meeting in Minsk, the latest effort by the military government to retain power and earn legitimacy.

Myanmar's military government will hold a general election in December 2025 or January 2026, state media said on Saturday, citing the junta chief giving the first specific time frame for the long-promised polls.

The army takeover from Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in February 2021 has been met with widespread popular opposition, triggering armed resistances, and large parts of the country are embroiled in conflict.

Myanmar’s junta chief announces elections for December 2025 or January 2026, but the opposition dismisses it as a sham. #MyanmarElections

Myanmar’s junta chief has announced plans to hold elections in December 2025 or January 2026, marking the first vote since the military seized power in a 2021 coup.

State-run media in Myanmar say the head of the military government has declared the country will hold a general election within 10 months

The head of Myanmar's military government has said the country will hold a national election in December 2025 or January 2026. General Min Aung Hlaing said the elections would be "free and fair" - adding that 53 political parties had already submitted their lists to participate.