CRBC News
Culture
Society
Security
Health
Conflict
Science
Technology
Politics
Environment
Lifestyle
Economy

Resistance Group Detains Myanmar Election Candidate Ahead of Dec. 28 Vote

The first known pre-election detention of a candidate in Myanmar was reported in Magway: 37-year-old Wai Lin Htet of the Shan and Nationalities Democratic Party was seized at home by alleged members of the People’s Defense Force. Authorities are seeking the suspects under a new electoral law that carries a maximum seven-year sentence. The incident highlights ongoing clashes between armed resistance groups and the military since the 2021 coup and compounds concerns about the safety and legitimacy of the Dec. 28 vote.

08:24 PM, 12/03/2025Conflict
Resistance Group Detains Myanmar Election Candidate Ahead of Dec. 28 Vote

An election candidate in Myanmar, 37-year-old Wai Lin Htet of the Shan and Nationalities Democratic Party, was detained at his home in Pakokku Township, Magway Region by three men on motorbikes, state-run Myanma Alinn reported. This is the first known detention of a candidate ahead of the Dec. 28 parliamentary vote.

The report identified the captors as members of the People’s Defense Force, the armed wing of the pro-democracy resistance, but did not specify the local unit or include a public statement from the group. Authorities said they are seeking the three suspects under a provision of a recently enacted electoral law that carries a maximum sentence of seven years for detaining a parliamentary candidate and obstructing election activities.

Magway Region has been a center of armed opposition since the military seized power in February 2021. After security forces suppressed peaceful protests with lethal force, many opponents of the junta joined or formed armed resistance groups that now operate across wide areas of the country.

Jeremy Laurence, a spokesperson for the U.N. human rights office, warned that the vote would take place in an environment "rife with threats and violence" and that political participation is being actively suppressed.

Local outlets report that nearly 100 people, including film directors, have been detained under the electoral law since it was enacted in July; some detainees have received sentences of up to 49 years. Sai Ai Pao, chairman of the Shan and Nationalities Democratic Party, declined to comment on the detention, citing concerns for the candidate’s safety.

Once a small ethnic party focused on Shan and Kachin states, the Shan and Nationalities Democratic Party is now fielding more than 580 candidates nationwide, making it the fifth-largest of the six parties contesting the vote. The party does not explicitly align itself with or against the military, but its participation has led critics to suggest it lends legitimacy to the junta’s election plans.

The detention underscores the tense and unstable conditions surrounding the December vote and raises fresh questions about the safety of candidates and the credibility of the election process.

Similar Articles

Trending