Weak Turnout Seen in Burmas Phased Election, First Since 2021 Coup

Election Commission officials prepare at a polling station inside a school ahead of a general election, in Thingangyun Township, Yangon, Burma, on Dec. 27, 2025. Stringer/ReutersUnder the shadow of civil war and questions over the poll’s credibility, the initial round of Burma’s (also known as Myanmar) phased general election closed on Sunday, with signs of low voter turnout for the first polls since a military coup in 2021.The junta, having crushed pro-democracy protests after the coup and sparked a nationwide rebellion, said the vote would bring political stability to the impoverished Southeast Asian nation, despite international condemnation of the exercise.