Myanmar's military regime has announced the initial results from the first phase of its tightly controlled general election, showing a decisive victory for its political proxy. The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has secured a commanding lead, winning nearly all of the parliamentary seats declared so far.
Overwhelming Victory for Pro-Military Party
According to official results published in state media over the weekend, the USDP has won a staggering 87 out of the 96 lower house seats announced from the first phase of voting. This translates to a win rate of over 90 percent. The party also secured 14 out of 15 regional and state constituency seats that have been declared.
The Union Election Commission (UEC), which is overseen by the junta, released these partial results on Saturday and Sunday. The election is being conducted in phases, with the first round of voting having begun a week ago. Two more phases are scheduled for January 11 and January 25. The winners from six additional townships in this first phase are still pending announcement.
A Poll Marred by Criticism and Absence
The military, which seized power in a February 2021 coup, has promoted this election as a step toward restoring democracy. However, the process has been widely condemned. Western diplomats and human rights advocates have labeled it a sham and a rebranding of martial rule.
A critical absence from the ballot is the National League for Democracy (NLD), the party of detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The NLD, which won a landslide victory in the 2020 election, was dissolved by the junta. The military overturned the 2020 results, alleging massive voter fraud—claims that international observers found to be baseless. Suu Kyi remains imprisoned since the coup.
In this election, aside from the USDP's sweep, six ethnic minority parties managed to pick up nine lower house seats. The junta has stated that voter turnout in this first phase exceeded 50 percent of eligible voters. This figure is notably lower than the participation rate of around 70 percent recorded in the 2020 poll.
International Rejection and Domestic Conflict
The election unfolds against the backdrop of a severe civil war that erupted after the 2021 putsch. Pro-democracy rebel forces are engaged in a fierce battle with junta troops for control of the country. Analysts widely view the USDP as a civilian front for the military, and its projected overwhelming victory is seen as an attempt to lend a veneer of legitimacy to the regime.
The international community, led by Western nations, is expected to reject the election's outcome. The process, which excludes the country's most popular political party and is held amid widespread conflict and repression, is unlikely to resolve Myanmar's profound political crisis.
