The military-appointed election commission conducted its first phase of voting on 28 December solely in
Hakha and
Tedim townships, the only two of
Chin State’s nine townships deemed secure enough for the polls.
The junta officially excluded the remaining seven townships due to ongoing instability, marking a sharp contrast to the 2020 elections when nearly the entire state participated. This shift underscores the dramatic deterioration of security and territorial control in Chin State over the past five years, as resistance forces have increasingly challenged the junta’s administrative grip.
2025 Election Results in Hakha and Tedim
In Hakha, 12 polling stations were set up across eight urban wards. A total of seven candidates from four political parties contested three parliamentary seats: the Chin
State Hluttaw, the Amyotha Hluttaw (Upper House), and the
Pyithu Hluttaw (Lower House).
The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) won all three seats.
According to the released vote counts, the current Chief Minister,
Dr. Vung Suan Thang (USDP), won the State Hluttaw seat with 2,069 votes. For the Pyithu Hluttaw (House of Representatives),
U Htlar Htan (USDP) and
U Van Nee (USDP) were elected with 2,446 and 2,006 votes, respectively.
Hakha, the seat of the Chin State government, had 27,475 eligible voters, including military personnel and civil servants. However, turnout was low, with only 2,836 voters casting ballots, a figure that included more than 600 advance votes.
In Tedim Township, six polling stations were opened, five in urban wards and one in Khaikam town. Ten candidates competed for seats in all three parliamentary houses. The Zomi National Party (ZNP) secured two seats, while the USDP won one.
It is reported that there were 12,442 eligible voters in Tedim Township, and a total of 3,970 votes were cast, including over 600 advance ballots.
2020 Election Data for Hakha and Tedim
In the 2020 multiparty democratic general election, polling was successfully conducted in all nine townships of Chin State. The following section focuses on Hakha and Tedim.
In Hakha, 28 candidates contested three parliamentary seats, representing the National League for Democracy (NLD), Chin National League for Democracy (CNLD), USDP, Union Betterment Party (UBP), National Unity Party (NUP), Chin National Party (CNP), United Democratic Party (UDP – Rose Party), and one independent candidate.
The NLD swept all three parliamentary houses in Hakha Township. In that election, there were 34,0291 eligible voters, of whom 25,2424 actually cast their ballots.
For the three houses of parliament in Tedim Township, 29 candidates from eight political parties contested the race. The NLD and the Zomi Congress for Democracy (ZCD) emerged as the winners.
Specifically, for the State Hluttaw, there were two constituencies won by U Thang Dot Cin (NLD) and U Paung Lun Min Thang (NLD). U Kyin Shinn Man (ZCD) won the Pyithu Hluttaw seat, while U Mahn Law Maung (NLD) secured the Amyotha Hluttaw seat.”
In Tedim Township, there were over 65,000 eligible voters, and more than 39,000 cast their ballots.
Comparison of the 2020 and 2025 Elections
The 2025 military-led election in Chin State saw a drastic reduction in scale compared to 2020, with voting held in only two of the state’s nine townships – Hakha and Tedim – due to widespread resistance control and ongoing conflict.
Participation has collapsed from the 2020 election, when 57 candidates from 14 parties competed for over 63,000 cast ballots, to a 2025 poll featuring just 17 candidates from four parties and a meagre turnout of only 6,806 voters out of 39,917 eligible.
This marginalized process follows the military’s systematic dissolution or barring of major local political forces, including the Chin National League for Democracy (CNLD), Chin National Party (CNP), Chin Progress Party (CPP), and Asho Chin National Party (ACNP).
Territorial and Security Conditions
During the 2020 election, voting could not be held in many parts of Paletwa Township due to clashes between the Arakan Army (AA) and the Myanmar military. However, elections proceeded in the remaining townships, with high voter turnout.
Ahead of the 28 December 2025 election, the military-appointed election commission declared Mindat, Matupi, Paletwa, and Kanpetlet as townships where polling could not take place. On 25 December, it further announced that elections would also not be held in Tonzang, Falam, and Thantlang.
Even in Hakha and Tedim, where voting proceeded, Chin resistance groups strongly opposed the process. The Chin Defence Force-Hakha (CDF–Hakha) and People’s Defence Force -Zoland (PDF–Zoland) issued statements urging residents not to participate and warning that they would take action against candidates and political parties involved, including the seizure of property.
On 26 December, two days before the election, CDF–Hakha attacked the election commission’s base in Hakha, capturing several outposts. The fighting reportedly resulted in more than 10 casualties on each side.
The military responded with heavy artillery and air support. On election day, an airstrike near a cemetery at the outskirts of Hakha destroyed 12 tombs, according to local sources.
In Tedim, PDF–Zoland had already blockaded entry and exit points to the town prior to the vote. On election day, the group also shelled the military battalion hosting the election commission.
Compared with the 2020 general election, this year’s poll in Chin State was conducted under severe limitations, relying largely on a small number of urban wards and advance ballots.
As a result, the 2025 election faces serious questions over its ability to genuinely reflect the will of the people of Chin State.
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