UN Expert Urges World to Reject Myanmar Junta’s ‘Fraudulent’ Election

“States that endorse these polls will be complicit in the junta’s attempt to legitimise military rule through a fabricated vote,” Andrews said.

The international community must unequivocally reject Myanmar’s election results and any power arrangement that follows, a UN human rights expert said as voting concludes in the military junta’s widely discredited parliamentary polls.

Tom Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, warned that the outcome inside the country was never in question—but that the global response now carries decisive weight.

“While the election results within Myanmar have never been in doubt, the election result that matters most is the response of the international community,” Andrews said as Sunday marked the final day of balloting.

A vote engineered for military control

According to Andrews, the junta orchestrated the election to guarantee a landslide victory for its political proxy, eliminating all credible competition. Authorities banned opposition parties, jailed popular political leaders, silenced independent media, and crushed fundamental freedoms ahead of the vote.

“The junta has taken no chances,” Andrews said. “This was designed from the outset to deliver military rule dressed up in civilian clothing.”

He warned that the generals are counting on international fatigue, hoping foreign governments will accept the appearance of electoral legitimacy after years of conflict and repression.

“Governments must not allow that to happen,” he said.

Intimidation, coercion and violence

The Special Rapporteur said all three phases of voting were marked by violence, coercion and low turnout. Reports indicate voters were monitored and pressured by local authorities, with explicit or implied threats against those who refused to participate.

Junta officials reportedly forced citizens to polling stations even as military jets bombed villages across the country, underscoring the contradiction between the election narrative and the reality on the ground.

“Acceptance would set back the clock”

Andrews rejected claims from junta allies that the election represents progress.

“International acceptance of this fraudulent exercise would set back the clock on any genuine resolution to this crisis,” he said, adding that sustained international pressure remains essential to ending the military’s campaign of violence against civilians.

He noted that most foreign governments refused to observe or endorse the polls, recognising what he described as the absurdity of the junta’s election ploy. He also welcomed ASEAN’s position, citing a statement by Malaysia’s foreign minister that the regional bloc will not certify the results.

Call for isolation and accountability

“States that endorse these polls will be complicit in the junta’s attempt to legitimise military rule through a fabricated vote,” Andrews said.

He urged governments to intensify efforts to isolate the junta, its enablers, and any proxy government emerging from the election, including by cutting the flow of weapons, aviation fuel and financial resources that sustain military operations.

“The people of Myanmar have shown extraordinary courage in resisting military tyranny,” Andrews said. “They deserve a future decided by their will—not by a rigged process designed to keep their oppressors in power.”