Military-backed party secures Myanmar election win with opposition excluded

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party claimed Monday that it had won the country's first election since the army seized power in 2021, paving the way for a new government.

The victory of the party led by a former general was widely expected after the vote excluded major opposition parties and dissent was tightly restricted. Also, 25% of parliamentary seats were automatically reserved for the military— effectively guaranteeing control by the armed forces and its favored parties.

Critics say the polls organized by the military government were neither free nor fair, but an effort to legitimize its rule after seizing power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The takeover triggered widespread opposition that dragged Myanmar into a civil war.

The election was held in three phases on Dec.28, Jan.11 and Jan.25. Of the country’s total 330 townships, 67 — mostly areas controlled by armed opposing groups — did not participate, reducing the original seats in the 664-member national parliament to 586.

More than 4,800 candidates from 57 political parties competed for seats in national and regional legislatures, though only six contested nationwide.

A senior official of the USDP told The Associated Press on Monday that the party won 57 seats of the 61 total in the lower house that were contested in the final phase held on Sunday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information.

The official said the vote count for seats in the upper house and regional legislatures was still ongoing.

The latest figures would give the party at least 290 seats in Parliament’s two chambers. That means that along with the military, which is allocated 166 seats, the two hold more than 450 and well above the 294 needed to form a government.

Final results for all seats are expected later this week.

After the results are finalized, the new members of Parliament and the military appointees will propose three candidates, and then elect one as president. The other two will become vice presidents.

Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, who heads the current military government, is widely expected to assume the presidency when the new Parliament meets.

Tom Andrews, a special rapporteur working with the U.N. human rights office, urged the international community on Friday to reject the election results and any power arrangements that follow.

Min Aung Hlaing pushed back against critics of the polls on Sunday, declaring that “the people who live in Myanmar are the ones who vote. Not those from outside.”

“We are not concerned whether this is recognized by foreign countries or not. We recognize the people’s vote. It should be like that,” he said.