The United Nations has revealed devastating human rights violations during Myanmar’s recent electoral process, documenting at least 170 civilian fatalities from military aerial operations. According to the UN human rights office, credible sources confirmed these deaths occurred alongside 408 separate military airstrikes between December 2025 and late January 2026, coinciding with the three-phase voting period.
The election itself has faced international condemnation as fundamentally illegitimate. The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) claimed an overwhelming victory—an expected outcome given the tightly controlled voting conditions. Significant portions of the country remained unable to participate due to ongoing civil conflict that erupted following the 2021 military coup which ousted democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk characterized the electoral process as ‘staged by the military,’ noting systematic exclusion of opposition candidates and ethnic minority groups. Turk emphasized that voting decisions were made ‘purely out of fear,’ fundamentally violating internationally guaranteed civil and political rights. The National League for Democracy, which had won previous elections decisively, was prohibited from contesting.
James Rodehaver, who leads the UN’s Myanmar human rights team, indicated that the casualty figures likely represent an undercount due to communication blackouts and widespread fear among affected communities. The military junta appears positioned to maintain power through proxy political parties despite the widespread international rejection of the electoral process.