BLC Declares Parliaments Emerging from Military Election Illegal

The Myanmar Lawyers’ Council (BLC) has issued a statement declaring that the unilaterally organised election by the military junta has no legal validity under any law of Myanmar, and therefore any institutions formed as a result of this election — including regional and state parliaments, the Pyithu Hluttaw, Amyotha Hluttaw, Union Parliament, and the Union Government — are also illegitimate. In its statement dated December 31, the BLC said that junta leader Min Aung Hlaing seized state power unlawfully by violating all existing laws, including the 2008 Constitution, without respecting or complying with any legal framework. It added that he illegally detained legitimate government leaders, including President U Win Myint and State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and committed acts amounting to treason punishable by death under Myanmar’s Penal Code. The statement further emphasized that Min Aung Hlaing had no authority to annul the results of the 2020 general election, and therefore the 2020 election results remain valid and legally binding. Because the military coup itself was illegal, the BLC stated that the State Administration Council, the National Security and Peace Commission, and other bodies established by the junta are also illegitimate. As Min Aung Hlaing himself lacks legal authority, the Union Election Commission (UEC) he appointed is likewise without legal standing. As a result, the multi-party general election organised by the illegitimate UEC is null and void, according to the BLC. The statement also pointed out that the illegal use of public funds following the coup — including spending state finances without accountability or responsibility — constitutes serious criminal offences. The military-controlled UEC held the first phase of the election on December 28 in 102 townships nationwide, meaning elections were conducted in only about one-third of Myanmar’s 330 townships. International media reports indicate that many people voted out of fear rather than hope, and that voter turnout was significantly lower than in previous elections. The second phase of the election is scheduled for January 11, 2026, in 100 townships, and the third phase for January 25, in 63 townships. The junta claims that election observers from nine countries — China, Russia, India, Belarus, the Philippines, Laos, Nigeria, Nepal, and Pakistan — totaling more than 60 individuals, monitored the election.