Myanmar has completed the final stage of a three-round general election held over nearly a month, concluding a process that has already secured a parliamentary majority for the military authorities and their political allies. Voting in the final phase took place in a limited number of townships, reflecting the fact that elections were not conducted nationwide because of the ongoing civil war. According to the country’s election commission, the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (U.S.D.P.) won the majority of contested seats, securing 193 of 209 seats in the lower house and 52 of 78 seats in the upper house. Seventeen other parties won between one and ten seats each. Official results are expected later this week, though the U.S.D.P. has indicated it could declare victory sooner. Parliament is expected to convene in March, with a new government scheduled to take office in April.
The election unfolded in three phases because fighting prevented voting in many areas. Balloting did not take place in more than one-fifth of Myanmar’s 330 townships, including areas controlled by armed opposition groups. Turnout in the first two rounds was reported at between 50 and 60 percent, compared with roughly 70 percent in the 2015 and 2020 general elections. The military government reports more than 24 million eligible voters, a figure about 35 percent lower than in 2020.
The election takes place against the backdrop of the military’s seizure of power on February 1, 2021, when it ousted the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi following a landslide victory by her National League for Democracy (N.L.D.) in the 2020 polls. That takeover ended a fragile power-sharing arrangement under the 2008 military-drafted constitution and triggered widespread protests that evolved into a civil war involving armed resistance groups and ethnic militias across large parts of the country.
Since the outbreak of fighting, thousands have been killed and millions displaced. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners reports at least 7,705 deaths, while the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project estimates more than 90,000 people have been killed on all sides. Aung San Suu Kyi remains in detention, serving a 27-year prison term on charges widely described as politically motivated. The N.L.D. was dissolved in 2023 after refusing to register under new military rules, while other parties declined to participate or called for a boycott, arguing that conditions made meaningful competition impossible. The election process has taken place under severe restrictions, with a new Election Protection Law used to detain critics and restrict public opposition.
The United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar described the polls as illegitimate and called for their rejection. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations did not send observers and has stated it will not certify the results, citing the lack of inclusive and free participation. This stance represents the clearest indication to date that the regional bloc will not recognize the election outcome. Myanmar’s military leadership has dismissed such criticism, stating that only the votes of people inside the country are relevant.
The 2008 constitution, drafted by the military, was designed to preserve its central role in governance through guaranteed parliamentary seats and control over key ministries, regardless of electoral outcomes. As a result, the vote functions less as a mechanism for political competition and more as a procedural step to formalize authority already held by the armed forces. Under the constitution, the party controlling parliament selects the president, who then appoints a cabinet. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, head of the current military government, is widely expected to assume the presidency once parliament meets and has indicated he may appoint a successor as armed forces chief.
The absence of major political competitors, including the dissolved National League for Democracy, has further shaped the process, with only junta-approved parties permitted to contest seats at the national level. In this sense, the elections do not resolve Myanmar’s political crisis but instead strengthen a system in which military dominance persists alongside ongoing armed conflict and political exclusion. Ongoing concerns remain regarding human rights conditions, including the treatment of minority groups such as the Rohingya, the continued imprisonment of democratic leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi, political exclusion, and human rights issues, which are likely to persist after the new elections.
