Bipartisan U.S. Lawmakers Urge Trump to Reject Myanmar’s Dec. 28 Election as an 'Electoral Farce'

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday urged the Trump administration to reject the results of Myanmar’s upcoming Dec. 28 election, saying the vote could not be free or fair amid the country’s ongoing civil war. The lawmakers warned the election appears intended to manufacture legitimacy for the junta that seized power in a 2021 coup and has since carried out widespread repression.

Lawmakers' Appeal

In a letter to President Trump, the lawmakers wrote:

"In keeping with America’s commitment to democracy and internationally recognized human rights, we urge the Trump administration — and all of America’s democratic allies — to speak out against these flawed elections and any electoral results that would deny the right of the Burmese people to freely and fairly choose their own government."

The letter emphasized that citizens resisting the junta face "great risk of death, imprisonment and torture," and noted the military government dissolved political parties in 2023 and has persecuted officials who were elected in 2020.

Who Sent the Letter

The message was sent by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and James E. Risch (R-Idaho), and Representatives Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) and Brian Mast (R-Fla.). Risch chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Mast leads the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Controversy Over Refugee Returns

The letter was issued the same day human rights advocates criticized the administration for ending temporary protected status (TPS) for refugees who fled Myanmar after the coup and the ensuing conflict. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the decision after the government said conditions had "improved enough that it is safe for Burmese citizens to return home." Officials also asserted they planned "free and fair elections," "successful ceasefire agreements," and "national reconciliation."

Phil Robertson, director of Asia Human Rights and Labor Advocates, sharply criticized the decision, saying Noem's order risks sending refugees back to imprisonment, torture, or death and calling the administration's assessment of political progress "seriously deluded."

Official Response from Myanmar’s Government

Myanmar government spokesperson Maj. Gen. Za Min Tun said citizens who committed serious crimes "would be prosecuted according to the law," while "the rest would be given special leniency," suggesting some flexibility for returnees but offering few concrete guarantees.

Background: Coup and Ongoing Conflict

In 2021, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing seized power from the democratically elected leadership in a military coup. The takeover led to mass arrests and detentions; rights groups estimate hundreds of thousands have been arrested for political reasons. Following the coup, a shadow National Unity Government aligned with the civilian-run People’s Defense Force to resist the junta, and the country has experienced sustained violence and instability.

The lawmakers’ appeal underscores a broader international debate over whether Myanmar’s electoral process and security conditions meet basic standards for a free and fair vote — and whether it is safe to encourage or permit the return of refugees while those concerns remain unresolved.