Myanmar's Military Backed Party Sweeps Election with Overwhelming Majority
In a tightly controlled election process marred by civil war and repression, Myanmar's military-backed party has secured an overwhelming majority in the country's three-phase general election. The Union and Solidarity Party (USDP), dominated all phases of the vote, winning 232 out of 263 seats in the lower Pyithu Hluttaw house and 109 of 157 seats announced so far in the Amyotha Hluttaw upper chamber.
The results are a stark contrast to previous elections, including the ill-fated 2020 poll that was cancelled by the junta before staging the coup. Turnout reached around 55% over all three phases, lower than the figure of around 70% in previous elections.
Critics have denounced the election as a sham, with human rights groups and some western countries condemning the process as a tool to entrench military rule. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has stated that it would not endorse the process.
Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party was dissolved along with dozens of other parties, and some others declined to take part, drawing condemnation from critics. The USDP, founded in 2010 as a proxy for the armed forces, contested the poll with 1,018 candidates, a fifth of the total registered.
The military government insists that the polls were free and fair, supported by the public. However, the process has been marred by violence and repression, with around 3.6 million people displaced according to the United Nations.
Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing is expected to play a central role in the next administration, defending the polls as a step towards stability. The party's chairman is a retired brigadier general, and the entire leadership is packed with other former high-ranking officers.
The outcome sets the stage for Myanmar's parliament to convene in March to elect a president, with a new government set to take over in April. However, the legitimacy of the election remains disputed, and its impact on the country's future will likely be contentious.
In a tightly controlled election process marred by civil war and repression, Myanmar's military-backed party has secured an overwhelming majority in the country's three-phase general election. The Union and Solidarity Party (USDP), dominated all phases of the vote, winning 232 out of 263 seats in the lower Pyithu Hluttaw house and 109 of 157 seats announced so far in the Amyotha Hluttaw upper chamber.
The results are a stark contrast to previous elections, including the ill-fated 2020 poll that was cancelled by the junta before staging the coup. Turnout reached around 55% over all three phases, lower than the figure of around 70% in previous elections.
Critics have denounced the election as a sham, with human rights groups and some western countries condemning the process as a tool to entrench military rule. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has stated that it would not endorse the process.
Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party was dissolved along with dozens of other parties, and some others declined to take part, drawing condemnation from critics. The USDP, founded in 2010 as a proxy for the armed forces, contested the poll with 1,018 candidates, a fifth of the total registered.
The military government insists that the polls were free and fair, supported by the public. However, the process has been marred by violence and repression, with around 3.6 million people displaced according to the United Nations.
Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing is expected to play a central role in the next administration, defending the polls as a step towards stability. The party's chairman is a retired brigadier general, and the entire leadership is packed with other former high-ranking officers.
The outcome sets the stage for Myanmar's parliament to convene in March to elect a president, with a new government set to take over in April. However, the legitimacy of the election remains disputed, and its impact on the country's future will likely be contentious.
232 seats outta 263 is like a landslide win if u ask me 
but honestly i think its gonna be super hard for the military to maintain stability after this... like what happens when they dont have suu kyi's ppl to balance them out? 
i'm low-key worried about the future of myanmar rn 
but at the same time i feel bad for the usdp members they must be so invested in their party's future 
. I mean, how can you trust an election when all major opposition parties were dissolved or didn't even bother participating? It's pretty clear the whole thing was rigged from the start.
. The UN says 3.6 million people are displaced, but I guess no one's too surprised about that anymore 
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after all the chaos and violence in the past few years 
. It's also worth noting that around 55% turnout isn't terrible, considering the circumstances 
. I'm just curious, what are your thoughts on this whole situation? Shouldn't everyone have access to fair representation no matter who they vote for? 
The whole thing feels like a sham, especially considering all the violence and repression that went down during the election process. 55% turnout is pretty low too, which kinda confirms my suspicions that something fishy was going on.
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can't wait to see how this plays out in March when the parliament convenes to elect a president... it'll be interesting to see if they actually have free and fair elections 
- how can one party win so many seats? And what about all those people displaced due to violence? 
- do you think anyone will actually stand up against them or challenge this election result?
it's all just so... predictable 
what even is going on over there?! 
anyhoo, it's gonna be super interesting to see how this plays out in March when they elect their president 
but for now... I'm just gonna sit here and wonder what's next 
this is super worrying tho 
myanmar people deserve better 
they're gonna be stuck under military rule for a loooong time 
i hope some of those human rights groups can help them 
, hope for real change soon 
It's like they're trying to silence all opposition parties and stuff 
heartbreaking.
. It feels like they're trying to keep control and crush dissent 
.
, and I'm sure there's more to this than what we know 
. Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing is just a power-hungry guy 
, and his team of former military officers are probably going to do whatever it takes to maintain their grip on power 
.
...
. newsflash: being able to cast a ballot doesn't mean you're happy with the outcome 
. can't wait to see how "free and fair" they claim the election was while 3.6 million people are still displaced 
. stability, schmastability 