The Karen National Union (KNU) has called on the Karen public, armed organizations, political parties, and all political forces to oppose the upcoming election planned by the junta’s commission, describing it as merely an “election for the military’s benefit.”
In a statement issued on August 26, the KNU said the nationwide election, scheduled by the junta’s commission for December, is illegitimate and unacceptable. It urged all groups to resist peacefully, stressing that opposition must be carried out through non-violent means that do not harm civilians.
“This so-called election is nothing more than a vote to serve the military and its allied parties,” KNU spokesperson Padoh Saw Taw Nee said. “If the people refuse to participate, if they say with full conviction that they will not take part, the junta cannot claim legitimacy. Any further consequences will be the responsibility of the military council itself, not the people.”
The KNU argued that the election is unlawful under existing legal frameworks and excludes the full participation of the population. Rather than offering a political solution, it warned, the vote could prolong the junta’s rule and intensify the ongoing national crisis.
The group also criticized recently announced laws designed to “protect” the election and ensure participation, saying these measures are nothing more than tools to intimidate the public into compliance.
“These laws are meant to instill fear. An election held under threats and coercion cannot reflect the people’s will,” Padoh Saw Taw Nee added.
The KNU further accused the junta of using the election to mask its failure to implement ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus, calling the planned poll a sham that will only extend authoritarian military rule.
The organization affirmed its readiness to cooperate with any group opposing the junta’s fake election, emphasizing that participation would legitimize military dictatorship, entrench the 2008 Constitution, and pour poison into the roots of the nation. Instead, it urged people and parties alike to resist the process through all peaceful and strategic means available.
