Polls opened in Myanmar on Sunday for the first general election since the military coup in February 2021 that ousted the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The heavily restricted election is taking place in approximately one-third of the country's 330 townships, with voting cancelled in 65 townships due to ongoing conflict.

The initial phase of voting on December 28 will be followed by two additional rounds on January 11 and January 25. Myanmar's military chief, Min Aung Hlaing, was photographed casting his vote at a polling station in Naypyidaw.

The election is occurring amidst a civil war between the military and various opposition forces, rendering large areas of the country inaccessible. Critics have widely condemned the election as a sham designed to legitimize the military's rule. The military maintains that the 2021 coup was necessary due to widespread fraud in the 2020 election, which Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) won in a landslide. International observers have largely disputed the military's claims of widespread fraud.

The NLD has been dissolved by the military junta, and many of its leaders and supporters have been arrested or forced into hiding. Aung San Suu Kyi is currently serving a lengthy prison sentence on various charges, which are widely viewed as politically motivated.

The United Nations and several Western governments have called for the release of political prisoners and a return to democratic rule in Myanmar. They have also imposed sanctions on military officials and entities linked to the junta. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has attempted to mediate the crisis, but with limited success. The ongoing conflict and political instability have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, with millions of people in need of assistance.