Myanmar election delivers victory for military-backed party amid civil war

Highlights

• USDP wins majority in both legislative chambers
• Critics denounce election as a sham, military retains control
• Turnout lower due to fighting, voting cancelled in some areas

Myanmar's military-backed party has completed a sweeping victory in the country's three-phase general election, state media said, cementing an outcome long expected after a tightly controlled political process held during civil war and widespread repression.

The Union and Solidarity Party (USDP) dominated all phases of the vote, winning an overwhelming majority in Myanmar's two legislative chambers. It 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, according to results released on Thursday and Friday.

Myanmar's parliament is expected to convene in March to elect a president, with a new government set to take over in April, pro-military Eleven Media Group reported earlier this month, citing junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun.

The final round of voting in late January brought an end to an election that began on December 28, 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.

Myanmar has been in political turmoil since the coup, with the crushing of pro-democracy protests sparking a nationwide rebellion. Around 3.6 million people have been displaced, according to the United Nations.

Critics say military still in charge

The 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations has said it would not endorse the process, and human rights groups and some Western countries have also denounced the election as a sham.

The UN human rights office said that large segments of the population, including minorities like the ethnic Rohingya, were excluded from voting since they lack citizenship or are displaced outside the country.

It also said it has so far verified the death of at least 170 civilians from air strikes during the election period and about 400 arrests.

"Many people chose either to vote or not to vote purely out of fear," said UN human rights chief Volker Turk.

Myanmar's military government insists the polls were free and fair, and supported by the public. It has not responded to Reuters requests for comment on electoral violence.

Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy 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.

Under Myanmar's political system, the military is also guaranteed 25% of parliamentary seats, ensuring continued control even after power is formally transferred to a civilian-led administration.

Proxy for the armed forces

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, also known as the Tatmadaw.

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 Min Aung Hlaing is also 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.

"Regardless of any changes among political parties or organizations in the country, Tatmadaw continues to carry out its responsibilities for national defence and security faithfully and without neglect up to the present day," he was quoted by state media as saying on Monday.

Turnout down as fighting halts votes

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, some of which are not under the complete control of the junta.

It was cancelled in many areas due to ongoing fighting between the military and armed ethnic groups, as well as local resistance forces that emerged after the 2021 coup.