The military regime’s planned vote in Muse Township, northern Shan State, can be conducted only in a limited number of urban wards, as all surrounding areas remain outside junta control, according to local residents.

At present, the junta controls only the urban wards of Muse Town. Surrounding areas, including Pang Hseng (Kyu Koke) and Mong Khur, are under the control of the Three Brotherhood Alliance, comprising the Arakan Army (AA), the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), also known as the Kokang Army.

“Given the current situation in Muse, it is completely impossible to hold the vote outside the town. The TNLA controls one side, and all three Brotherhood Alliance forces are positioned on the other. The process can only take place inside the urban area—if it happens at all,” a Muse resident told SHAN.

Muse Township has been designated by the military regime as part of the first phase of its planned voting process. The junta has announced that during Phases 1 and 2, voting will not take place in 212 locations across 11 townships in Shan State, including 17 wards and 195 village tracts.

Residents reported widespread public disinterest in the planned vote. Many said they had not checked voter lists, prompting ward- and village-level election sub-commissions to reportedly deliver voter notifications directly to households.

Despite the campaign period extending for more than a month, residents said political parties have shown little visible outreach.

“The campaign has been going on for over a month, but we haven’t seen real campaigning. The Shan and Ethnic Democratic Party (SNDP), known as the ‘White Tiger’ party, has put up posters on street corners. The USDP also placed a signboard at the town entrance, but that’s about it. No one here is interested in the process,” the resident added.

On December 5, the junta-appointed Union Election Commission (UEC) confirmed that the planned vote in Muse Township will be limited to the town’s urban wards. Voting will not take place in Man Hero Town or in 15 wards and 62 village tracts across Pang Hseng (Kyu Koke) and Mong Khur, areas under MNDAA control.

According to the UEC, only two parties—the Shan and Ethnic Democratic Party (SNDP) and the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP)—have been permitted to field candidates in Muse Township.