Myanmar’s military junta is pressing ahead with plans for sham elections in a bid to tighten its grip on power, despite widespread persecution and imprisonment of critics, ongoing armed conflict, and its lack of control over most of the country. These elections, if recognised, would set a dangerous precedent for legitimising military rule.
Since seizing power in the 2021 coup, the junta has banned independent trade unions and civil society organisations, changed political party registration laws to silence opposition, and criminalised criticism of the electoral process with prison sentences of up to 10 years. People who speak out are being harassed, jailed, or forced into hiding. Most democratic leaders, including trade unionists, are now imprisoned, in exile, or underground.
The junta controls less than 30 per cent of Myanmar’s territory, and the rest is under the control of ethnic armed organisations and resistance groups. This renders a nationwide vote impossible, and any attempt to hold one will only serve to lend legitimacy to military rule rather than reflect the democratic will of the people.
The junta’s planned elections, widely criticised as a sham to consolidate its grip on power, have drawn condemnation from the Myanmar people and diaspora around the globe. Advocate Ko Saulsman of the Myanmar Campaign Network has called the elections a “manipulative tactic to entrench military rule, urging Australia and the international community to reject their legitimacy and withhold election observers.”
Unions’ call for stronger sanctions before the sham elections
In a powerful show of international solidarity, the Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar (CTUM), the country’s main independent trade union federation, has deepened ties with Australian unions amid the escalating repression. In September 2025, CTUM’s Secretary General Phyo Sanda Soe visited Australia at the invitation of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), speaking to unions in Sydney and Melbourne, and meeting with politicians in Canberra.
Watch ACTU President Michelle O’Neil and Sandar Soe
Sandar addressed ACTU members and civil society leaders, recounting the brutal crackdown on unions since the coup including the arrest and torture of hundreds of CTUM affiliates and the revocation of leaders’ citizenships. “Our workers are on the frontlines of resistance, but we cannot fight alone”, she urged, calling for unwavering support from global labour movements.
The ACTU, led by President Michele O’Neil, reaffirmed its commitment to Myanmar’s pro-democracy struggle, pledging continued financial aid through global strike funds and advocacy for ILO sanctions under Article 33 of its constitution to isolate the junta economically. This visit builds on years of collaboration, including ACTU’s role in pushing for Australian sanctions on Myanmar state-owned banks in 2024, which restricted the military’s access to foreign revenue.
Adding to the global outcry, Global Union Federations representing over 200 million workers worldwide issued a scathing denunciation of the Myanmar junta’s planned elections.
In a joint statement, they condemned the election as a “cynical ploy” to legitimise the junta’s authoritarian rule, citing the exclusion of opposition parties, widespread voter intimidation and the ongoing detention of pro-democracy activists. The unions called for international governments to reject the elections and intensify pressure on the junta through coordinated advocacy and economic measures reinforcing the global demand for a return to democratic governance in Myanmar.
IUF denounced the sham election here.
In tandem, the ACTU and a coalition of Australian civil society organisations have issued an urgent call to the Australian government for concrete actions to bolster democracy in Myanmar.
- Support Comprehensive targeted sanctions– against the military, its leaders and their business interests and partners.
- Use all diplomatic leverage to uphold the rule of law, restore a civilian-led government and secure the immediate release of detained individuals, including journalists, civil society activists and MPs.
- Back accountability mechanisms– including proceedings at the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.
As communities remain cut off from vital aid and the military tightens its grip, the voices of CTUM and ACTU underscore the power of transnational solidarity. The international community faces mounting pressure to act decisively against the junta and aid Myanmar’s displaced millions in their fight for justice and democracy.
To show your union solidarity, request that your union join the Myanmar Campaign Network.
To help Myanmar’s vulnerable internally displaced persons (IDPs) join or donate to Union Aid Abroad–APHEDA at www.apheda.org.au