Yangon [Myanmar], August 18 (HBTV): Myanmar's military government has announced that long-promised elections will begin on December 28 amid widespread scepticism over whether authorities will allow a free and fair vote.

The Union Election Commission said on Monday that the vote would be the first phase in ‘step-by-step’ general elections. ‘Further dates for the subsequent steps of the elections will be announced accordingly,’ the election commission said.

State media reported that some 55 parties had registered for the polls, including nine contesting seats nationwide.

The announcement comes after Myanmar's military administration, led by Min Aung Hlaing, last month declared the end of a state of emergency in parts of the country in preparation for elections in December and January.

Min Aung Hlaing's administration imposed emergency rule after removing Aung San Suu Kyi's democratically elected government in a 2021 coup. Opposition groups, including Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, have pledged to boycott the elections, calling them a sham designed to strengthen Min Aung Hlaing's hold on power.

Myanmar has been in civil conflict since the coup, with large swathes of the country under the control of various rebel groups, including the People's Defence Force, the Arakan Army, and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army.

The country last held elections in November 2020, when the National League for Democracy won a landslide victory. The military rejected the results, alleging widespread fraud, before arresting Aung San Suu Kyi and other democratically elected leaders.

Independent election monitoring groups, including the Asian Network for Free Elections and the Carter Center, dismissed the military's claims and said the results reflected the will of the public.

(ANI)