The junta states that the decision is being made to "ensure that all eligible voters can exercise their right to vote."
The generals have called for elections starting on December 28. They themselves describe it as a path to peace – but the plans have received strong criticism as the junta has long subjected the civilian population to brutal repression.
"No one can say that it (the election) will be free and fair," said UN human rights chief Volker Türk earlier in November.
The military seized power by force in 2021, after Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD party won a landslide victory in the elections the previous year.
The military coup triggered a civil war and in its attempt to quell all opposition, the junta has displaced hundreds of thousands, is accused of genocide and human rights violations, and has killed civilians in indiscriminate aerial bombings.
