UN warns on voter surveillance ahead of Myanmar election

he U.N. human rights office voiced concern on Friday that the regime in Naypyidaw was pressuring people into voting in an election next month and that electronic voting machines and AI surveillance could help authorities to identify opponents.

International officials have already raised concerns about Myanmar’s regime 2025-26 elections starting on Dec. 28 and continuing into January 2026, calling it a sham exercise aimed at legitimizing the military’s rule after it overthrew a civilian democratic government in 2021.

The electronic voting machines did not allow people to leave their ballot blank or spoil it, meaning they have to pick a candidate, said James Rodehaver, head of the Myanmar team for Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

“There’s a real worry that this electronic surveillance technology is going to be used to monitor how people are voting,” he told a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, saying that authorities could track if people are voting, and who for.

The regime in Naypyidaw intends “to enable all eligible voters to exercise their franchise freely and fairly in the upcoming general election”, regime media reported on Friday. Reuters was unable to reach Zaw Min Tun, the regime spokesperson, for further comment.