Myanmar's military junta is holding its first general election in five years, conducted in three phases amid an ongoing civil war. The junta claims the polls signal a return to democracy, but critics, including Western governments and the UN, condemn them as illegitimate, citing bans on opposition parties like Aung San Suu Kyi's dissolved NLD and a heavily tilted electoral landscape favoring military-aligned groups. Voting is restricted to junta-controlled areas, with large parts of the country excluded due to conflict. Low turnout was observed in the initial phase.