Myanmar ethnic group AA vows to block elections in its enclave
The Arakan Army (AA), one of Myanmar’s most influential and battle-hardened ethnic armed groups, has announced it will prevent the country’s military junta from holding elections in territories under its control.
Speaking at a livestreamed press briefing on Monday, AA spokesperson Khaing Thu Kha dismissed the planned polls as illegitimate and harmful to public interests. “An election without public support will not benefit the people and will only create more confusion,” he said. “The election may be able to be held in areas controlled by the military council, but it will not be allowed in areas controlled by us. It is certain that the Rakhine people are not interested in the elections.”
The Arakan Army, which has steadily expanded its influence since Myanmar’s 2021 military coup, now controls nearly all of western Rakhine State. The group has emerged as one of the military’s strongest adversaries, waging heavy battles alongside other ethnic forces and newly formed pro-democracy guerrilla units opposed to central rule.
The military junta, led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, ended the nationwide state of emergency last month and declared it would hold general elections in December 2025. The announcement was met with widespread rejection from opposition parties, ethnic organizations, and the shadow National Unity Government (NUG) formed by lawmakers ousted in the coup. A UN human rights expert has also denounced the planned polls as a “sham” intended to legitimize the junta’s grip on power.
Rakhine State, bordering Bangladesh, is home to roughly 2.5 million people, according to junta estimates. The region has long been a flashpoint of conflict, not only between the military and the AA but also due to historic tensions surrounding the Rohingya Muslim minority, hundreds of thousands of whom fled to Bangladesh during a 2017 military crackdown. The UN reports that around 560,000 people in Rakhine are currently internally displaced due to ongoing violence.
Analysts warn that the AA’s pledge to block voting in its strongholds will deal a serious blow to the junta’s attempt to project an image of political control. The stance also reflects a broader trend across Myanmar, where multiple ethnic armies and anti-junta forces have vowed to resist or boycott any election organized under military rule.
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