CNI News
27 August 2025
Despite the plan to hold elections in Myanmar, strong opposition movements mean that Myanmar citizens living abroad are facing a dilemma over whether or not to vote, according to political analysts.
The Union Election Commission (UEC) announced on August 21, 2025, that to cast advance votes, Myanmar citizens residing in foreign countries for various reasons must submit their personal information to the respective embassies.
Ko Naing Aung Aung, director of the Arakan Workers Organization, told CNI News that Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand have no plans to participate in the election and are not interested in voting.
"Myanmar migrants in Thailand have no plans to vote. They're not interested," he said. "These are not fair elections. So when we have to give our personal information to the military commission to vote, most migrant workers are worried. We see that the majority of migrant workers in Thailand aren't interested in this. They won't give their personal information for security reasons. As someone who works on behalf of laborers, I can say with 99% certainty that Myanmar people in Thailand are not interested in the current election that is being planned in Myanmar."
Myanmar citizens waiting to cast advance votes at the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, during the 2015 election.
Some political parties inside Myanmar argue that it is unrealistic for one person to claim that overseas voters will not participate, questioning what surveys were conducted to support this claim. They believe this is just one person's opinion and cannot represent others. They point out that some overseas voters would like to vote but are hesitant due to fear of being ostracized or attacked by others, which makes their decision difficult.
The UEC has stated that the first phase of the election will be held on December 28, 2025, in 102 townships. On July 29, 2025, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing signed and enacted a law for the protection of elections.
U Htet Aung Kyaw, Vice-Chairman of the National Democratic Force (NDF) party, told CNI News that online voting would not be easy at this point. He added that people who do not provide their personal information will not be on the voter list, but he does not believe providing this information would hurt security.
People waiting to vote during an election within Myanmar
"For Myanmar people abroad, voting is only accepted at embassies. The area of a Myanmar Embassy is considered Myanmar territory," he explained. "They are only allowed to vote within that area. It would be inconvenient to set up ballot boxes in industrial zones where there are many Myanmar workers because those are Thai territories. So, Myanmar people in Thailand can only vote at the embassy. They would have to go to the embassy with their personal information to cast advance votes. The embassy would then inform the UEC about these advance votes. We have advocated for online voting to make it easier for both domestic and overseas voters. However, at this point, it seems it wouldn't be easy to implement online voting."
Due to security threats, the upcoming election will be held in phases from December 28, 2025, to January 2026. A state of emergency has been declared in 63 townships across some regions and states, and efforts are underway to restore peace and stability.
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Chairman of the State Security and Peace Commission, has stated that power will be transferred to the winning political party.
