A resident of Hmawbi Township in Yangon Region told DVB that he had to cast his ballot in the first phase of the regime’s 2025-26 elections on Dec. 28 as he feared the consequence if he didn’t.
“I live in a town with a strong military presence. Like it or not, I had to vote,” the Hmawbi resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity. Hmawbi, located 24 miles (38 km) north of Yangon, is home to a Myanmar Air Force and several military bases, including three training schools.
The first phase of the elections was held in 12 out of Yangon Region’s 45 townships. The second and third phases will be held in the remaining townships on Jan. 11 and Jan. 25, 2026, according to the regime’s Union Election Commission (UEC).
A resident of the Arakan State capital Sittwe told DVB that those, like him, staying temporarily at an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp had to cast their ballots on Dec. 28 or face the consequence if they didn’t.
“I had to vote as [UEC] officials have already collected my personal details and national registration card number. I feared they’d harm my [life and my family],” the Sittwe resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity.
A total of 195,888 voters were registered by the UEC to vote at 164 polling stations in Sittwe, Kyaukphyu and Manaung townships, which are under regime control. Kyaukphyu is located 317 miles (520 km) south of Sittwe.
The other 14 Arakan townships were seized by the Arakan Army (AA) after it launched an offensive against the military on Nov. 13, 2023. Fighting between the AA and regime forces was reported in Sittwe and Kyaukphyu before voting began in the two townships on Dec. 27.
“We’re scared,” a resident of the Mon State capital Mawlamyine told DVB on the condition of anonymity, adding that regime administration officials threatened residents with arrest if they didn’t vote on Dec. 28.
Many Mawlamyine residents work in neighbouring Thailand and fear not being allowed to cross the border by regime immigration officials, who said they’d ask for proof that residents voted before being allowed to leave Myanmar.
Mon’s Mawlamyine, Kyaikto, Kyaikmaraw, Chaungzon and Thaton townships were included in phase one of the regime elections on Dec. 28. Mon State has a total of 10 townships. The other five will be included in phase two and three of the elections set for Jan. 11 and Jan. 25, 2026.
A resident of Muse Township, along the Myanmar-China border in northern Shan State, told DVB on the condition of anonymity that he was not voting for the military-proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which analysts predict will return to power following the election.
The USDP governed Myanmar under a hybrid military regime from 2010-15 before being defeated in back-to-back landslide election victories by the National League for Democracy (NLD) party led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
The jailed NLD State Counsellor Suu Kyi and President Win Myint were detained during the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021. The two have been held in prison by the regime ever since and are serving lengthy prison sentences handed out by regime courts.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s son, Kim Aris, fears that his mother may have died in detention. The regime responded to these allegations claiming that she is in good health, but have provided no proof of life to her family or the Myanmar people.
The Muse resident added that regime immigration officials will not issue border passes to migrant workers and businesspeople who cannot provide evidence they voted on Dec. 28. Muse is located 108 miles (173 km) north of the regional capital Lashio. Voting in phase one of the regime elections was held in 12 out of Shan State’s 55 townships, according to the UEC.
Residents of Myawaddy Township, along the Myanmar-Thailand border in Karen State, told DVB on the condition of anonymity that regime immigration officials had threatened to confiscate their border passes for Thailand if they couldn’t prove they’d voted on Dec. 28.
Myawaddy is 85 miles (137 km) east of the Karen State capital Hpa-An. Residents told DVB that they feared going to vote after an attack on a polling station, the USDP office and another location, in Myawaddy on Dec. 27. Voting in phase one of the regime elections was held in Myawaddy, Hpa-An, and Thandaunggyi townships on Dec. 28.
Karen State has a total of seven townships. The second and final phases of the elections will be held in the remaining four towns on Jan. 11 and Jan. 25, 2026. Voting was completed in 102 townships on Dec. 28, according to the UEC. Another 163 out of Myanmar’s 33o total townships are expected to hold polls in January 2026.
