Myanmar's military junta has announced plans for elections in December or January -- scheduling the first poll since it seized power in a bloody 2021 coup that plunged the country into civil war. - Since the 2021 coup the junta has been battling an array of pro-democracy guerillas and fighters from ethnic minorities.

Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing announced the timing of the election while on a visit to Belarus on Friday, the military-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported. “The election is slated for December 2025, with the possibility of … January 2026,” the newspaper quoted Min Aung Hlaing as saying.

Myanmar's military government will hold a general election in December 2025 or January 2026, state media said on Saturday, citing the junta chief, who provided the first specific time frame for the long-promised polls in the war-torn nation.

State-run media in Myanmar say the head of the military government has declared the country will hold a general election within 10 months.

The head of Myanmar's military government has said the country will hold a national election in December 2025 or January 2026. General Min Aung Hlaing said the elections would be "free and fair" - adding that 53 political parties had already submitted their lists to participate.

Myanmar’s long-promised general elections will take place in December or January next year at the earliest, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing said at a state-level meeting in Minsk, the latest effort by the military government to retain power and earn legitimacy.