A voting machine is pictured during Myanmar’s Union Election Commission’s first major press conference in Naypyidaw on September 11, 2025. (Photo by AFP)MizzimaThe Myanmar junta announced on the evening of 21 September that it has relaxed requirements for political parties intending to contest nationwide in its planned election. Previously, any party campaigning nationwide had to contest in more than half of all constituencies to retain its registration. Four others, including the National Democratic Force (NDF), were dissolved on 9 September. More than 60 parties have registered with the junta-appointed Union Election Commission since the 2021 coup, most at the state or regional level.