Residents in several Yangon townships are reporting intensified pressure from military-appointed officials to participate in the upcoming third phase of the national election, scheduled for 25 January.
The final round of the junta’s three-phase voting process will cover 63 townships nationwide, including 17 key areas across Yangon such as Dagon, Lanmadaw, North Okkalapa, Hlaing Tharyar, and Thaketa.
According to local reports, ward administrators and street leaders began conducting door-to-door visits on 13 January, using guest-list checks and population data collection as a pretext for voter intimidation.
In Thaketa’s No. 3 Yanpyae Ward, residents identified a specific street leader, Daw Nyunt Shwe whose family members hold high-ranking military positions as a primary source of coercion.
Local sources state her unchecked influence has allowed her to exert “intense control” over the neighbourhood to ensure high turnout.
The methods of pressure vary by township but often involve threats to essential civil services. A Rangoon Scout Network official noted that some residents are being told their household guest-list registrations will be revoked if they do not vote.
In other areas, officials are using loudspeakers to demand participation or suggesting that those who abstain may face increased scrutiny regarding military conscription drives.
Despite these efforts, 80 percent of residents in townships like Khayan remain indifferent or actively opposed to the polls.
A Khayan resident noted that many who do vote intend to choose any candidate except those from the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), though there is a widespread belief that the final results will inevitably favour the junta proxy party regardless of the actual ballots cast.
The junta held Phase 1 of its elections on 28 December and Phase 2 on 11 January. In both rounds, the USDP claimed a sweeping majority, a result the international community and domestic revolutionary groups have labelled a “theatrical performance” designed to legitimize military rule.
As the 25 January deadline approaches, observers expect the coercive tactics used by local officials to intensify across the commercial capital.
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