Myanmar's military-backed Union and Solidarity Party (USDP) has secured a sweeping victory in the country's three-phase general election, according to state media reports, cementing an outcome long anticipated after a tightly controlled political process held amidst civil war and widespread repression.
Overwhelming Majority Secured in Legislative Chambers
The USDP dominated all phases of the vote, winning an overwhelming majority in Myanmar's two legislative chambers. Official results released on Thursday and Friday show the party secured 232 of the 263 seats up for grabs in the lower Pyithu Hluttaw house and 109 of the 157 seats announced so far in the Amyotha Hluttaw upper chamber.
Election Process and International Condemnation
The final round of voting in late January brought an end to an election that began on 28 December, more than four years after the military seized power in a coup that overturned the elected government of Nobel peace prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Human rights groups and some Western countries have denounced the election, the first held since the 2021 coup, describing it as neither free nor fair.
The 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations has stated it would not endorse the process, joining critics who label the election a sham. Myanmar has been in political turmoil since the coup, with the crushing of pro-democracy protests sparking a nationwide rebellion that has displaced around 3.6 million people, according to United Nations estimates.
Military Control and Political Exclusion
Under Myanmar's political system, the military is guaranteed 25% of parliamentary seats, ensuring continued control even after power is formally transferred to a civilian-led administration. Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party was dissolved along with dozens of other parties, and some others declined to take part, drawing condemnation from critics who say the process was designed to entrench military rule.
The USDP was founded in 2010 after decades of military-led rule in the southeast Asian country, with the aim of serving as a proxy for the armed forces. The party is chaired by a retired brigadier general and packed with other former high-ranking officers. It contested the poll with 1,018 candidates, a fifth of the total registered.
Junta Chief's Role and Turnout Figures
Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, who visited a polling station in Mandalay during the third phase, is expected to play a central role in the next administration. He has defended the polls as a step toward stability, rejecting criticism from opponents and foreign governments and affirming that state responsibilities will be transferred to the elected government.
Turnout reached around 55% over all three phases, lower than the figure of around 70% in previous elections, including a 2015 vote that brought Suu Kyi to power, as well as the ill-fated 2020 poll, the results of which were cancelled by the junta before staging the coup. Voting took place in 263 of Myanmar's 330 townships, with many areas excluded due to ongoing fighting between the military and armed ethnic groups, as well as local resistance forces that emerged after the 2021 coup.
Myanmar's parliament is expected to convene in March to elect a president, with a new government set to take over in April, according to pro-military media reports citing junta spokespersons.
