Myanmar junta chief says election to be held by January

Myanmar's junta chief said the country would hold an election in December or January, the first in the war-torn nation since the military staged a coup in 2021."We are planning to hold the election in December 2025 or ... by January 2026," General Min Aung Hlaing was quoted as saying in the state-run newspaper Global New Light of Myanmar published Saturday.The vote would be "free and fair" he said on Friday during a state visit to Belarus, adding that 53 political parties had "submitted their lists" to participate."We also invite observation teams from Belarus to come and observe" the slated election, he said during a meeting with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko in Minsk.