ABSTRACT
The Myanmar general elections, which have been organized under the auspices of the Union Election Commission (UEC), take place in five-year terms. The 2015 elections had been regarded similar to a referendum against military rule, which led to a government with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as State Counsellor. The 2020 polls were expected to be more competitive, and the entire electoral system to become more tested than before. However, half a year prior to the 8 November 2020 general elections, neither the election date nor the further course of the COVID-19 pandemic were clear. The outbreak of the pandemic compounded already existing weaknesses and risks in the electoral process. This chapter reviews the pre-electoral situation, the legal framework for elections, the election administration, voter registration, the political party landscape, the campaign and campaign finance framework, as well as the local cancellation of elections and their impact in Rakhine State in particular. Furthermore, it also discusses social media and election observation, taking COVID-19 into account. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.