Myanmar Military Prepares for Controversial Election Amid Propaganda Push

The Myanmar military junta is preparing for what it calls a “multiparty democracy general election,” scheduled to begin on December 28 in a three-phase process. The election comes nearly five years after the military seized power in February 2021, claiming massive fraud in the 2020 election that saw the National League for Democracy (NLD) win by a landslide.

Few international observers expect the upcoming polls to be legitimate. In March 2023, the junta’s Union Election Commission dissolved the NLD and 39 other political parties for failing to comply with new registration requirements. Despite widespread criticism, military spokesperson Zaw Min Tun confirmed that 57 parties and 95 independent candidates will participate in the elections.

The junta claims this election will be “fairer” than the 2020 polls, implementing a new mixed voting system that combines first-past-the-post with proportional representation. Electronic voting will replace paper ballots, ostensibly to prevent fraud.

As part of its election preparation campaign, the military released a major propaganda film on October 26 titled “Those Who Will Ride the Tide of History,” featuring several Myanmar Academy Award-winning actors. Notably, the production was credited to “Khit Thamine Thukhuma Yet Won,” a pseudonym, rather than the military’s Public Relations and Psychological Warfare Department.

The film follows three food delivery riders in Yangon who encounter road blockades during post-coup protests. The protesters are selectively portrayed using edited archive footage that emphasizes destructive behavior while omitting scenes of security forces cracking down on demonstrators.

Set primarily in a future Myanmar of September 2025, the narrative champions characters who continued working under the junta rather than joining the Civil Disobedience Movement. A village doctor, portrayed by prominent actor Nay Toe, argues that professionals cannot abandon their posts without violating their oaths. The film portrays those who joined the armed resistance as naive and manipulated, while presenting the upcoming election as Myanmar’s only legitimate path forward.

The film’s climax features resistance fighters planting a bomb that injures a child. When captured, they claim to be fighting for “true democracy” and against a “fake election,” only to be lectured by village elders about the legitimacy of the junta’s electoral process.

The propaganda effort has backfired spectacularly on social media, triggering renewed public outrage and boycotts of the actors involved. Underground resistance groups in Yangon have reportedly threatened to “prosecute” the participating performers. Actor Daung, wanted by the junta, remarked in an online panel discussion that “the people were asleep out of exhaustion, but this film woke them up.”

The military has responded harshly to criticism, with spokesperson Zaw Min Tun warning that those speaking against the film would face punishment. Five people have already been arrested – three directors and two actors – for merely reacting to social media posts critical of the production or for allegedly “disrupting the multiparty election.”

In a subsequent development, the military released another propaganda video featuring several prominent celebrities urging citizens to vote, including some who had previously been targets of boycotts for their silence following the coup.

United Nations Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews has denounced the junta’s election as “fraudulent,” a sentiment echoed by many international observers. New Zealand’s parliament passed a resolution formally rejecting the legitimacy of the polls.

The propaganda appears to serve multiple purposes: reinforcing narratives among apolitical or pro-military citizens, appealing to educated urban populations who have previously accepted military framing, and creating a facade of democratic process for international allies like China and India, who have expressed support for the election.

For citizens living in constituencies included in the upcoming vote, the situation presents dangerous choices. Refusing to vote might invite accusations of “disruption,” while electronic voting raises fears of tracking and potential retaliation. The National Unity Government has warned it will prosecute anyone coercing citizens to vote, though enforcement mechanisms remain unclear.

As the election date approaches, most Myanmar citizens recognize that the outcome has been predetermined, with the military ensuring its continued grip on power regardless of how votes are cast.