CNI News
25 February 2025
If the words that the chairman of the State Administration Council said were analyzed, the chances that elections could be held in 2025 are very slim, general secretary of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), U Sai Leik told CNI News.
The chairman of the SAC said repeatedly that a general election would be held in 2025. However, peace and stability were needed in the entire country so that a free and fair general election could be held, said the chairman of the SAC in his letter sent to the 77th Anniversary Celebration of the Chin National Day that fell on 20th February 2025.
"There is no reason to hold a general election. If you carefully examine the words of what the SAC Chairman said, first he said that he would hold the election at once kind of. Second, the election could be just held not all over the country but regionally. He said a few days ago that a free and fair general election could be held only when there is peace and stability in the entire country. So, he's not very keen on holding the election. He might consider the situation to be up in the air even after the election. Taking into account revolutionary, economic and social conditions as well as international pressure, it's much less likely to hold the election, I think." said U Sai Leik.
Only when armed conflicts ceased, could a free and fair general election be held; because armed organizations were trying to build their powers regionally, the Myanmar Tatmadaw would have to continue to wage the war, said chairman of the SAC Sr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing at the graduation ceremony of the Bahtoo Cadet Training Course on 21 February 2025.
While the SAC Chairman was meeting with political parties
As armed conflicts became more widespread and more numerous during the past four years of the current politics, military and political analysts wondered how the SAC would perform in order to make the whole country stable.
It was difficult to predict when the election would be held, as it was not known when although the SAC Chairman had promised international diplomats and the public that the election would be held in 2025, U Khun Sai who is taking part in the peace process, told CNI News.
" Naypyidaw sings a different tune at a time. It said first that the election would be held in 2025. But later, when the meeting of Myanmar's neighboring countries was held in Bangkok on 19 December 2024, the SAC said there that the election would be held during the third quarter in 2025 when Thailand asked, I heard. But I haven't heard in Myanmar when the election will be held. Some people said that the election will be held on 9th November. But later I came to know that the election will be held but you can't know when." said U Khun Sai.
While seeing the SAC Chairman and the Chinese FM Mr. Wang Yi
According to those close to the SAC, the election would be held in October, November and December, 2025 and the power transfer could happen in April, 2026.
Although the SAC Chairman had said that the election would be held in August 2023, he extended the state of emergency for another six months under the Section.425 of the 2008 Constitution because the armed conflicts were more widespread.
After that, even though he promised again that the election would be held in 2025 without fail, the exact date when the election would be held has not been announced yet.
