Myanmar Junta Holds "Restricted" Elections Amid Civil War, Critics Condemn

• Myanmar's ruling junta began "heavily restricted" elections five years after a coup triggered civil war, aiming to legitimize its rule.
• Former leader Aung San Suu Kyi remains jailed, her popular party dissolved, and critics denounce the polls as unfair and stacked with military allies.
• The pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party is widely expected to win, with campaigners calling it a rebranding of martial law.
• Voting is absent in rebel-held areas, and citizens express distrust, citing ongoing violence, displacement, and a lack of free and fair conditions.
• The junta faces international condemnation and is prosecuting over 200 people for "disrupting" the phased, month-long electoral process.

Why It Matters: Myanmar's junta holds contested elections amid civil war, widely condemned as a sham to legitimize military rule.