Myanmar's military junta proceeded with the second phase of a highly contentious three-part general election on January 11, 2026, as the nation remains engulfed in a brutal civil war that ignited after the 2021 coup. This electoral exercise, which saw its first phase on December 28, 2025, and has a third planned for January 25, 2026, is largely dismissed by international observers and rights groups as a sham designed to formalize military rule. The Al Jazeera article specifically highlights voting in Hpapun, described as a 'ghost town' emptied by ongoing fighting, where the election is considered 'meaningless.' Other reports confirm that polling is taking place in 265 out of Myanmar's 330 townships, including many conflict zones, while 65 townships are entirely excluded due to severe clashes. Critics argue that the election lacks credibility due to the dissolution of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party – which won a landslide in the 2020 elections – and the imprisonment of its leaders, effectively eliminating meaningful opposition. Turnout for the first phase was reported at a low 52 percent, far below previous elections. The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has taken a commanding lead, winning approximately 90 percent of the lower house seats contested in the initial round. The United Nations and numerous Western governments have unequivocally branded the election as neither free, fair, nor credible, emphasizing its role in entrenching military domination under a facade of legitimacy. The ongoing conflict has displaced 3.6 million people and led to over 16,600 civilian deaths since the coup.