CNI News

15 August 2025

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing would not hold the election due to pressure from China, but rather China called it by ear depending on what he said, China-Myanmar affairs analyst Dr. Hla Kyaw Zaw told CNI News.

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing's plan to hold elections in December 2025 and January 2026 is widely viewed as a result of Chinese pressure. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing's decision to hold elections was not due to Chinese pressure, but to gain legitimacy for him, said Dr. Hla Kyaw Zaw. 

" The Senior General's plan to hold elections is not because of Chinese pressure, but to gain legitimacy for him. He staged a coup d'etat, claiming because of the NLD's vote fraud. Only when elections are held again, will it be convenient for him to become the Present. He tries to gain legitimacy. China followed suit only after the Senior General said. And then, China requested the Senior General to release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and not to declare the NLD as an unlawful association. So, China had to follow suit." she said.

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has promised the international community that elections will be held in December 2025 and January 2026, and the country's governance structure has changed since July 31. 

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and the President Xi Jinping

There are speculations among military and political analysts that this change is due to pressure from China. Furthermore, there are reports that Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is determined to hold the election in December, whether he likes it or not.

However, there are differences of opinion both domestically and internationally on whether elections are likely to take place. There are concerns that holding the election will create further difficulties and crises amid widespread armed conflicts across most of the country, Col. Saw Kyaw Nyunt, a spokesperson for the 7EAO Alliance, told CNI News.

“The extent to which the public is interested in the election is also a major challenge. As we all know, regional stability is so bad. This is the first time that our country has experienced a large-scale armed conflict when elections will be held. So, the 7 EAO Alliance are worried that elections will create further difficulties and crises." he said.

Malaysia, the rotating chair of ASEAN, has urged that all relevant organizations can only discuss the issue by prioritizing an end to all violence, rather than prioritizing the election. However, China, India, Thailand, and Bangladesh, which are all Myanmar's neighboring countries, welcomed the upcoming elections in Myanmar.

Moreover, neighboring countries see the election as a way out, and military and political analysts believe that these countries will continue to encourage the election.