Myanmar’s military aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party has completed a decisive sweep of the country’s three phase general election, securing control of both chambers of parliament after a tightly managed vote held amid civil war and political repression.
State media said the USDP won an overwhelming majority of seats, an outcome widely anticipated following an electoral process that excluded major opposition forces and took place under military rule.
According to official results released on Thursday and Friday, the USDP captured 232 of the 263 contested seats in the lower Pyithu Hluttaw chamber. In the upper Amyotha Hluttaw house, the party won 109 of the 157 seats announced so far.
Myanmar’s parliament is expected to convene in March to select a president, with a new government scheduled to take office in April, pro military Eleven Media Group reported earlier this month, citing junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun.
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The final round of voting in late January concluded an election that began on December 28, more than four years after the military seized power in a coup that removed the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Myanmar has remained in deep political turmoil since the 2021 coup, which triggered mass protests that were violently suppressed, leading to a nationwide armed uprising. Fighting between military forces and resistance groups continues across large parts of the country.
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The United Nations estimates that about 3.6 million people have been displaced by the conflict, underscoring the scale of the humanitarian crisis unfolding alongside the political process.
The election has drawn widespread condemnation from regional and international actors. The 11 nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations said it would not recognize the process, while human rights organizations and several Western governments described the vote as lacking credibility.
Myanmar’s military authorities have rejected those claims, insisting the election was free, fair, and supported by the population.
Critics point to the dissolution of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy and dozens of other political parties as evidence that the process was designed to sideline opposition voices. Several remaining parties also chose not to participate.
Under Myanmar’s constitution, the armed forces are guaranteed 25 percent of parliamentary seats, a provision that ensures continued influence over legislation and key decisions even after a nominal transfer to civilian leadership.
