The ITUC-Asia Pacific strongly condemns the recent announcement by Myanmar’s military junta to lift the state of emergency on 31 July 2025, while moving forward with plans to hold so-called “elections” under its illegitimate rule.
“This is not a return to democracy,” said Shoya Yoshida, General Secretary of ITUC-Asia Pacific. “This act of political theatre serves only to entrench military domination and deceive the international community into accepting a dangerous illusion of democratic transition. It is a continuation of dictatorship, merely dressed in electoral clothing.”
It has been four years since the 1 February 2021 coup, when the Myanmar military forcibly overthrew the elected government and detained State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi along with numerous members of the National League for Democracy (NLD). Since then, the junta has systematically dismantled democratic institutions, intensified its violent repression, and unleashed a humanitarian catastrophe that continues to devastate the lives of millions of Myanmar’s people.
“The military’s plan to stage elections “in phases” – while the NLD is dismantled and opposition figures silenced or imprisoned – has no credibility or legitimacy,” Shoya Yoshida said. “It is a blatant attempt of the military junta to consolidate power under the guise of constitutional process.”
The ITUC-Asia Pacific contends that the so-called election process is neither free nor fair, as the ongoing conflict as well as the control of armed ethnic groups in some areas make any genuine, democratic national poll impossible. Reports suggest that Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing is expected to assume the presidency in the junta’s envisioned “civilian government” in 2026, raising deep concerns over the regime’s long-term plans to maintain power under a façade of democratic legitimacy.
“The junta’s intention to carry out voting in only “selected” areas is inherently discriminatory and designed to engineer a favourable outcome for military-backed parties. No legitimate and truly democratic elections can occur while Myanmar’s political system remains one of fear, oppression, and economic hardship,” Shoya Yoshida stated.
The World Bank reports that nearly one-third of the population (i.e., over 17 million people) now live in poverty, a direct consequence of the junta’s misrule and relentless violence. According to international monitoring bodies, including the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the United Nations, the country has witnessed over 32,000 armed clashes since the coup, and nearly 3.6 million people have been internally displaced. The military’s brutality has also forced hundreds of thousands to flee abroad, including to neighbouring countries and Japan, where the number of Myanmar nationals has quadrupled since the coup.
ITUC-Asia Pacific’s affiliate, Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar (CTUM), along with the Myanmar Labour Alliance, denounce Myanmar military’s illegal election and its supporters, stating that this sham process is driving Myanmar further into chaos and threatens the stability of ASEAN.
“Myanmar is not falling apart on its own. It is the military that is dismantling the country from within,” said Maung Maung, CTUM President. “They robbed the people of their voice in the 1990 general elections, and again in 2020. Now they are staging yet another sham process to cling to power and maintain its illegitimate rule.”
CTUM condemns the governments that support the military junta with weapons and financial resources, including China, Russia, and Belarus.
“They are enabling child killers and election-robbing thugs. Supporting Myanmar’s military regime reveals the true intention of these dictators: to build a disruptive world order that is violent, repressive, and deeply unjust,” Maung Maung said.
The ITUC-Asia Pacific expresses its full support for CTUM and urges the international community and democratic governments worldwide not to recognise this staged process or its outcomes. “We reject any attempt by the Myanmar military to use elections as a tool to whitewash its crimes and atrocities. Supporting the junta’s narrative is a betrayal to the courageous efforts of the Myanmar people, who continue to resist dictatorship at all cost,” declared Shoya Yoshida.
The ITUC-Asia Pacific stands firmly with the workers and citizens of Myanmar in their demand for the restoration of democracy, the release of political prisoners including Aung San Suu Kyi, and the return to civilian rule. It calls on all governments, trade unions, and civil society organisations to intensify pressure on the regime through sanctions, diplomatic isolation, and support for Myanmar’s democratic forces.
“This is not the time for compromise or complacency,” Shoya Yoshida said. “It is a time for principled action – by governments, international institutions, and the global trade union movement – to support the restoration of democracy in Myanmar.”
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