Myanmar's military secures control in final disputed election round

Myanmar’s military and its allies secured control of Parliament in the final round of a three-stage election held Sunday, capping a process that critics say was designed to legitimize military rule after a 2021 coup. The results continue a pattern established in the first two rounds: the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party leading in seat counts, with a structure guaranteeing the armed forces themselves 25 percent of parliamentary seats.

The election represents the military’s effort to restore civilian-facing legitimacy after ousting elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi nearly five years ago, though voting was severely limited by ongoing civil war and international observers withheld recognition.

Myanmar’s military secured control of Parliament in the final round of a three-stage election on Sunday. The system was built to guarantee this result: twenty-five percent of Parliament’s seats are reserved by law for the military itself, and the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party, the USDP, already commanded a majority after winning most seats in the first two rounds. When Parliament meets in March, the combined voting power of the military’s automatic seats and the USDP’s elected members will ensure the formation of a government the military controls.

Min Aung Hlaing, the general who heads the current military government, is expected by both supporters and opponents to become president when that vote occurs. He declined to comment when asked directly.

“The people who live in Myanmar are the ones who vote. Not those from outside,” he said Sunday after inspecting a polling station in Mandalay. “We are not concerned whether this is recognized by foreign countries or not. We recognize the people’s vote. It should be like that.”

The Election in Context

The military took power in February 2021, ousting the elected civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The takeover triggered widespread opposition that escalated into armed civil conflict, which has continued for nearly five years and shaped every aspect of this election.

Voting was not held in more than one-fifth of Myanmar’s 330 townships because of the ongoing fighting. Seventy townships — mostly areas controlled by armed groups opposed to military rule — did not participate at all, reducing the total Parliament size from 664 seats to 586. The military adopted the three-phase election structure because the security situation prevented nationwide voting in a single day.

The civil war resulted in at least two deaths among administrative officials during previous voting rounds, according to the military government. On Sunday, violence was reported in at least one township with polls, with five people injured, according to independent media outlets.

International Response and Domestic Repression

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Myanmar is a member, did not send observers. Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said ASEAN would not certify the election, citing concerns about “the lack of inclusive and free participation.”

Aung San Suu Kyi, the 80-year-old elected leader ousted in 2021, remains imprisoned. She is serving a 27-year sentence on charges that critics and human rights observers widely describe as politically motivated. Her party, the National League for Democracy, was forced to dissolve in 2023 after it refused to register under military-imposed rules. The party did not participate in the current election.

Other opposition parties also refused to register or declined to run under conditions they deemed unfair. Opposition groups called for voters to boycott the polls.

A new Election Protection Law imposed steep penalties for speech about the election. More than 400 people were charged in recent weeks for activities such as leafleting or online posts criticizing the voting process.

Turnout and Participation

The military government said more than 24 million people were eligible to vote — about 35 percent fewer than the eligible voter count in the 2020 elections, which the military government had not yet disrupted. Turnout in the first two voting rounds was between 50 and 60 percent, the government announced.

At a polling station in Yangon, the country’s largest city, Soe Tint, 86, said he voted hoping for peace and development. “I want the country to develop in all sectors, including education,” he said.

At the same station, Lae Lae Yi, 62, expressed less optimism. “I’m not expecting anything at all, because there is no motivation,” she said.

Ko Ko Gyi, chairman of the People’s Party — one of only a handful of non-military-aligned parties that won parliamentary seats — raised concerns about the concentration of power in a single entity. “Since the government is chosen solely by parliament here, if a single party comes to dominate the legislature, the political system becomes one in which the winning party dominates the government,” he said after voting.

The military government announced that final results would be released later in the week. Parliament will convene in March, with the new government taking office in April.