Government departments under the control of the military junta have begun preparations on the ground for the elections scheduled to take place in Mon State this coming December.
According to sources close to the military authorities, immigration departments under the military junta have directed that all individuals aged 25 and above—including migrant workers—must register for national identification. In addition, local administrative bodies are collecting population lists of those aged 18 and above, categorized by township.
A local community member close to village authorities in Ye Township said that election-related groundwork by government departments is expected to be completed by October. Meanwhile, in Mawlamyine, electronic voting machine training sessions are planned for education staff, who will serve as polling officers.
“They are determined to go through with it. Township-level administrators and election officials are verifying the consistency of population data for everyone aged 18 and above. Since electronic voting will be used, they are planning to provide training to education staff in Mawlamyine. The training will include instructions on procedures and operations,” the source said.
Decisions have already been made at the village level about which villages will and will not hold elections.
For election security, in addition to the military and police, nearly 100 members from local security and counter-terrorism units are expected to be deployed per township.
A People’s Party (PP) representative in Mon State stated that political parties are currently engaging in activities approved by the Union Election Commission (UEC), and inter-party meetings and discussions are taking place.
“Our party doesn’t meet with other parties as often, but among the parties under the NSPNC (National Solidarity and Peace Negotiation Committee), we have taken the lead in some initiatives. We’re seeing more frequent discussions between different party groups,” the representative said.
The People’s Party (PP) has already opened offices in Thanbyuzayat, Mudon, and Kyaikmaraw townships. It plans to expand operations with additional offices in Mawlamyine and Chaungzon.
According to political party assessments, due to the current military and political situation, elections are likely to be held only in parts of the 10 townships in Mon State—such as Thanbyuzayat, Mudon, Mawlamyine, Chaungzon, Paung, and Kyaikmaraw—as well as certain wards in Ye town and some villages.
While the military junta has declared that elections will be held in December, no election laws have been officially released yet, and no campaign period has been designated for political parties.
