Myanmar votes in final phase as junta tightens grip on power
USDP’s 233 seats, plus military’s 166, give junta-backed bloc an unassailable parliamentary majority
Voters line up to cast ballots at a polling station during the final round of general election, on Sunday. (Photo: PTI)
Yangon, Jan 25: Voting began on Sunday in Myanmar in the final phase of a three-stage general election, capping a nearly month-long process that has already ensured the country’s military rulers and their allies a parliamentary majority to form the next government.
Polling opened at 6 am in 61 townships across six regions and three states, including several areas that have witnessed clashes in recent months.
Critics have dismissed the polls as neither free nor fair, saying they are designed to legitimise the military’s grip on power following the February 2021 coup that ousted the elected civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
The army-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has already secured most of the seats contested in the first two rounds of voting.
Under Myanmar’s constitution, 25% of seats in both houses of Parliament are reserved for the military, ensuring its dominance over the legislature.
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who leads the current junta, is widely expected to become president once the new Parliament convenes.
The election has been held amid a civil war triggered by the coup. Ongoing fighting meant voting could not take place in more than one-fifth of Myanmar’s 330 townships, further undermining the credibility of the process.
The polls were conducted under strict restrictions with new Election Protection Law imposing harsh penalties for public criticism.
Authorities have reportedly charged more than 400 people in recent weeks for activities such as leafleting and online posts.
Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan told Parliament that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) did not send observers and would not recognise the election, citing the lack of inclusive and free participation.
This marked the clearest indication yet that the regional bloc will not certify the results.
Election observers were sent from countries including Russia, China, Belarus, Vietnam and Cambodia, as well as India and Japan.
Suu Kyi, now 80, is serving a 27-year prison sentence on charges widely regarded as politically motivated.
Her party, the National League for Democracy, was dissolved in 2023 after refusing to register under military-imposed rules.
The first two rounds of voting, held on December 28 and January 11, covered 202 townships but were marred by attacks on polling stations and government offices by armed opposition groups. At least two officials were killed, according to military authorities.
Figures released by the Union Election Commission show the USDP have won 233 seats so far. Combined with the military’s allotted 166 seats, the bloc comfortably exceeds the majority needed to form a government.
Seventeen other parties have won a small number of seats in the legislature, ranging from one to 10.
More than 4,800 candidates from 57 political parties are competing for seats in national and regional legislatures, though only six are contesting nationwide.
The military government said there are more than 24 million eligible voters, about 35 per cent fewer than in 2020. The turnout in the first two rounds of voting was between 50 per cent and 60 per cent, it announce
Final results are expected later this week, with Parliament set to convene in March and the new government to assume office in April.
PTI