State-run media in Myanmar say the head of the military government has declared the country will hold a general election within 10 months.

Myanmar's military government will hold a general election in December 2025 or January 2026, state media said on Saturday, citing the junta chief, who provided the first specific time frame for the long-promised polls in the war-torn nation.

Myanmar’s long-promised general elections will take place in December or January next year at the earliest, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing said at a state-level meeting in Minsk, the latest effort by the military government to retain power and earn legitimacy.

Myanmar's military leader announced plans for a general election by January 2026, despite ongoing civil conflict and criticism that the vote will not be free or fair. The election is seen as an effort to legitimize military rule.

The two sides reached deals to cooperate on nuclear and space technology, among many others, and the junta boss backed Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The head of Myanmar's military government has said the country will hold a national election in December 2025 or January 2026. General Min Aung Hlaing said the elections would be "free and fair" - adding that 53 political parties had already submitted their lists to participate.

Myanmar's junta chief said the country would hold an election in December or January, the first in the war-torn nation since the military staged a coup in 2021.