Voting in Myanmar has ended with the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development party (USDP) expected to win a landslide victory after a month-long election widely derided as a sham designed to cement the army's grip on power. The junta leader, Min Aung Hlaing, rejected criticism, saying the vote had public support and represented a return to democracy and stability.
The election took place nearly five years after the military seized power in a 2021 coup, ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and triggering a nationwide conflict. Suu Kyi remains detained, and her National League for Democracy, which won previous elections, was banned. Tom Andrews, UN special rapporteur, said the vote was orchestrated to deliver a landslide for the USDP, with credible opposition banned and critics jailed under a new election protection law mandating at least three years' imprisonment for dissent.
Turnout was low at 55%, compared with about 70% in 2020. Voting was held in three phases, with the final phase in major cities like Mandalay and Yangon. However, about a third of the country was excluded due to conflict or control by anti-junta groups. Fighting continued throughout the election period, including a military airstrike days before voting that killed 21 people in Kachin state.
The USDP already secured a majority in earlier rounds, winning 193 of 209 lower house seats and 52 of 78 upper house seats. Only six parties contested nationwide, and none were perceived as a meaningful opposition. The UN, UK, Australia, and EU rejected the election, while China backed it. Malaysia said ASEAN would not endorse the poll. Voters expressed fear, with one Mandalay resident saying, 'We miss our former government, we don't want this military government. We fear for our security.'
