By Ra Wai / MPA

The Defend Myanmar Democracy (DMD), an organization advocating for the restoration of democratic governance in Myanmar, has urged the international community to support the people’s struggle for democracy and reject the military junta’s orchestrated sham elections.

In a statement released on Friday, DMD condemned the involvement of Belarus and Russia in the junta’s electoral process and called for decisive global action against the regime’s attempts to legitimize its rule.

“The terrorist military junta’s attempt to hold an election is nothing more than a ploy to legitimize their illegal seizure of power,” said Naw Aung, spokesperson for DMD.

The organization sounded the alarm following junta leader Min Aung Hlaing’s invitation to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to send election observers for the junta’s illegitimate election—an invitation Lukashenko reportedly accepted.

Additionally, Myanmar’s state-run media have indicated that Russia will also endorse the junta’s sham election, raising further concerns about the involvement of these nations.

Since Lukashenko’s first election in 1994, no election in Belarus has been deemed free or fair by international monitoring groups.

The 2020 Belarusian presidential election was particularly controversial, sparking mass protests and allegations of fraud. Opposition parties claimed they had won by a decisive 60%, but key opposition leaders were arrested or forced into exile.

The most recent election in 2025, in which Lukashenko claimed an 87% victory, was met with widespread protests and international condemnation, including sanctions from Western nations.

Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing and his delegation visited Russia and Belarus from March 3 to March 9.