Myanmar to hold first phase of general election on December 28, state television reports

(Reuters) -Myanmar will hold the initial phase of its general election on December 28, state television said on Monday, outlining a roadmap for the first polls in the war-torn country in nearly five years that have already been derided by critics as a sham.

The dates for the subsequent phases of the elections, which authorities plan to hold over December and January for security reasons, will be announced later, Myanmar’s Union Election Commission said, according to an announcement on MRTV.

Myanmar has been roiled by violence since a 2021 coup that unseated an elected civilian government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, and the ruling generals, led by military chief Min Aung Hlaing, have faced fierce resistance from armed groups.

A total of 55 political parties have been register