Myanmar held the final round of a three-stage election on Sunday, completing a process that has assured military-backed forces of a parliamentary majority and the power to form the next government. Critics said the elections were neither free nor fair and were designed to legitimize military rule five years after the military overthrew the elected government of Nobel Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.
A quarter of all parliamentary seats are reserved for the military, guaranteeing its control of the legislature. Voting could not be held in more than one-fifth of the country’s municipalities due to ongoing civil conflict, and international observers declined to certify the results.
The Military’s Path to Formal Control
The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party has already won the majority of contested seats across the first two voting rounds held on December 28 and January 11. When the final results are announced, the party’s seats plus the guaranteed military allocation will ensure the armed forces control Parliament and select the next president.
General Min Aung Hlaing, who heads the current military government, is widely expected to assume the presidency when Parliament convenes in March. The new government is scheduled to take office in April.
Speaking Sunday after visiting a polling station in Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city, Hlaing dismissed international criticism of the electoral process.
“The people who live in Myanmar are the ones who vote. Not those from outside,” he said. “We do not care if this is recognized by foreign countries or not. We recognize the vote of the people.”
Opposition Blocked from Competing
The ousted former leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy party did not participate in the elections. Suu Kyi, 80, is serving a 27-year prison sentence on charges widely described as politically motivated. Her party, which won decisive victories in 2015 and 2020, was forced to dissolve in 2023 after refusing to register under new military regulations.
Other opposition parties also declined to participate, and opposition groups called for a boycott of the elections.
An Electoral Protection Law imposed severe penalties for public criticism of the elections. Authorities have accused more than 400 people of crimes including distributing pamphlets and online activity related to the voting process.
Voting Prevented in Conflict Zones
Voting could not be held in 67 of the country’s 330 municipalities, primarily areas controlled by armed groups opposed to military rule. These are the same areas where fighting has continued since the military overthrew Suu Kyi’s elected government in February 2021, triggering a civil war that has drawn thousands of soldiers and armed civilians into conflict.
The absence of voting in conflict zones reduced the total number of contested parliamentary seats from 664 to 586. Sixty-one municipalities across six regions and three states held voting on Sunday.
Limited Participation, International Non-Recognition
The military government reported that voter participation in the first two rounds ranged from 50% to 60%. The government announced there are over 24 million eligible voters—roughly 35% fewer than the 2020 elections when Suu Kyi’s party swept to victory.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Myanmar is a member, declined to send observers and said it will not certify the elections. Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said on Tuesday that ASEAN’s decision reflected concerns about the lack of “inclusive and free” participation.
More than 4,800 candidates from 57 political parties competed for seats in national and regional legislatures, though only six ran for national office. Besides the military-backed USDP, 17 other parties have won between one and ten seats across the three voting phases.
The president selected by Parliament will nominate a cabinet and form the next government. Final results for all parliamentary seats are expected to be announced later this week.