Women rights activists said the election the junta is preparing is merely an attempt to gain legitimacy.

Maw Day Myar, general secretary of the Karenni State Consultative Council (KSCC), said she believes the upcoming election is a sham one.

“Holding the election is a fundamental part of democracy. But when a junta that seized power illegally organizes one, it will inevitably raise questions. Such an election will definitely be a sham and will not be legitimate,” she said.

Daw Hnin Hnin Mhway, joint secretary of the Democratic Party for a New Society (DPNS), also said the election to be held by the junta would be illegal.

“That election will be a sham. It will be illegitimate, just an attempt by those who have abused and violated democratic norms to gain legitimacy for themselves,” she told NMG.

Resistance forces also share a similar view of the junta’s planned election.

Maw Day Myar said she does not trust the junta to hold an election that fully meets democratic standards.

“The new electoral law the junta recently enacted is designed to serve its own interests and does not meet democratic standards. That’s why the election will still be a sham, an illegal one. A terrorist junta that seized power illegally can never hold a genuine election,” she pointed out.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) proposed a five-point consensus to resolve the Myanmar crisis, but the junta has failed to implement it. Both ASEAN and the United Nations (UN) have shown no willingness to recognize the junta-led election.

ASEAN, as a body seeking to help resolve the Myanmar crisis, does not view the junta-planned election as a priority and acknowledges that it is likely to worsen the situation rather than improve it, the organization said in a statement on July 11.