This Sunday, Myanmar holds its first election since the military seized power in 2021. On paper, it looks like a return to democracy. In reality, it is a vote under fear.

The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) is in charge, and the main opposition, the National League for Democracy, has been dissolved. Its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, remains in prison. Only a handful of minor parties are allowed to contest, while much of the country is still at war. In many areas, no voting will happen at all.

At a rally in Mandalay, retired Lieutenant-General Tayza Kyaw tried to energize a small crowd. Many attendees dozed off in the heat, while children ran and played. People here are struggling with earthquake damage, war, and poverty—they are hoping for handouts more than political speeches.

The military has created a climate of fear. Plain-clothes officers watch events closely, and people are warned not to speak to journalists. Activists who protest or criticize the election face harsh punishments, sometimes decades in jail. Many Burmese are going to vote because they feel they must, not because they support the system. “We will vote,” one woman said, “but not with our hearts.”

Myanmar’s junta leader, Min Aung Hlaing, hopes this election will give him legitimacy. He is supported by China, which provides technical and financial help for the voting process. But the military controls most of the country and continues air strikes against rebel areas. Half of Myanmar’s villages will not vote, and civilians caught in the fighting continue to suffer.

This election shows the limits of choice in a country ruled by force. Myanmar’s people have endured civil war, violence, and oppression. The military wants to appear democratic, but the reality is a vote without freedom. Citizens are being asked to participate in a political performance, not a genuine election.

In a country where fear shapes every decision, the election is a reminder that democracy cannot exist under the shadow of guns. People will mark ballots, but their voices and hearts remain silenced.