U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, together with Representatives Brian Mast (R-Fla.) and Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.) from the House Foreign Affairs Committee, have issued a statement regarding the upcoming elections in Burma scheduled for December 28. The elections are being organized by the Burmese military with support from China.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee recently held a hearing on November 19, where all witnesses agreed that the elections would not be free or fair due to significant flaws in their organization and preliminary conduct.
In their joint statement, the lawmakers said: “Burma’s planned elections this December are proving to be a sham. Orchestrated by the military junta to deceive the international community, these elections are designed to manufacture legitimacy for the China-backed junta after its 2021 coup and ongoing campaign of violence against the Burmese people. Almost five years after the coup, the junta struggles to control territory despite increased political and military backing from China and Russia. In keeping with America’s commitment to democracy and internationally recognized human rights, we urge the Trump Administration – and all of America's democratic allies – to speak out against these flawed elections and any electoral results that would deny the right of the Burmese people to freely and fairly choose their own government.”
They further stated: “At great risk of death, imprisonment, and torture, the Burmese people have bravely resisted the junta’s authoritarian rule and prevented it from consolidating control over the country. The junta's dissolution of several political parties in 2023, including the National League of Democracy, coupled with the continued imprisonment, persecution, or exile of many officials duly elected in the 2020 general elections, makes clear that any forthcoming vote risks being neither free nor fair. Under these conditions, the United States must categorically reject this electoral farce.”
The statement highlights ongoing concerns about political repression in Burma since a military coup in 2021. Lawmakers point out that despite support from foreign governments such as China and Russia, Burma's military regime has not managed to establish full control across its territory.
The dissolution of key opposition parties like the National League for Democracy in 2023 and continued detentions or forced exiles of elected officials from previous elections have raised doubts among U.S. lawmakers about whether any upcoming vote can reflect genuine public will.
