• Myanmar holds elections amid ongoing civil war and repression from the military junta.
• Aung San Suu Kyi remains jailed, and her political party has been dissolved.
• The election process has been criticized as a sham lacking fairness and credibility.
• The pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party is expected to dominate the election.
• Voting is cancelled in many rebel-held areas, deepening the conflict in the nation.

Voting began on December 28 in Myanmar's heavily restricted polls, viewed by many as an attempt by the military junta to legitimize its rule amidst a civil war that has raged since the ouster of Aung San Suu Kyi's government in February 2021. Critics, including the United Nations and various human rights organizations, have condemned the election process as lacking fairness and credibility, arguing that it serves mainly as a façade for continued military dominance, according to aljazeera, channelnewsasia, and reuters.

The polls have been structured into three phases, with significant portions of the country under rebel control, effectively halting voting in those areas. State-run media claims the elections represent a "return to democracy," yet many have dismissed them as an exercise designed to solidify military power, especially as most opposition parties have been barred from participating, including the National League for Democracy, which won a landslide victory in the 2020 elections, according to lemonde and scmp.

In the current climate of violence and repression, the junta's tactics have included a crackdown on dissent and stringent laws against any form of protest related to the elections. Over 200 individuals face prosecution for violating these laws, highlighting the repressive environment in which these polls are being conducted, as noted by channelnewsasia and lemonde.

The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), aligned with the military, is expected to dominate the elections, further entrenching military rule under a guise of electoral legitimacy. Participants in the election expressed skepticism, with sentiments indicating that the outcome is already predetermined, as the military maintains a tight grip over the political landscape, according to reuters and scmp.

As the elections unfold, the situation in Myanmar remains precarious, with essential issues such as humanitarian crises and widespread discontent among various ethnic groups persisting. Many citizens continue to voice their desire for genuine democratic processes rather than what they perceive as a military sham, relying on activists and resistance forces fighting on various fronts, particularly in ethnic minority regions, as emphasized by aljazeera and lemonde.