Myanmar's military-aligned political party has declared a massive win in the initial stage of a nationwide election orchestrated by the ruling junta. The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) announced it secured 82 out of 102 parliamentary seats where counting has concluded, according to a senior party official cited by AFP.
A Controversial Victory Amidst Widespread Skepticism
The first of three voting rounds concluded on Sunday, 28 December, nearly five years after the military seized power in a 2021 coup. The election has been widely condemned by the international community and domestic opposition groups as a "sham" exercise designed to legitimize military rule. Official confirmation from Myanmar's Union Election Commission is still awaited, with subsequent voting phases scheduled for 11 January and 25 January.
The USDP official stated the party won all eight townships in the capital, Naypyitaw. This election follows the military's overturning of the 2020 election results, where Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy scored a sweeping victory. The military and USDP had alleged massive fraud in that poll, claims later dismissed by international observers as unfounded.
Violence and Military Guarantees Mar the Polling Process
Chief Min Aung Hlaing, who has ruled by decree since the coup, attempted to lend credibility to the process. After voting in Naypyitaw, he told reporters the armed forces could be trusted to return power to a civilian government. "We guarantee it to be a free and fair election," he said, as per AFP. "It's organised by the military, we can't let our name be tarnished."
However, the polling day was marred by significant violence, underscoring the country's ongoing civil war. Reports of explosions and air strikes emerged from several regions:
- In the Mandalay region, a rocket hit an uninhabited house in the early hours, injuring three people.
- Near the Thai border in Myawaddy township, a series of explosions damaged over 10 houses. A local resident reported a child was killed and three others hospitalized.
A Nation Divided and the Road Ahead
The 28 December election covered 102 of the country's 330 townships, marking the largest of the three planned rounds. The junta's push for an electoral mandate occurs against a backdrop of fierce armed resistance and widespread public opposition to military rule. The claimed landslide by the USDP sets the stage for the next phases of voting, which are likely to proceed under similar conditions of conflict and international scrutiny. The results, when officially declared, are expected to further entrench the military's political control while doing little to resolve the deep political crisis that has engulfed Myanmar since the coup.
