Military-Backed Party Leads Myanmar’s First Election Since 2021 Coup

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Myanmar’s military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has emerged as the frontrunner in the country’s first general election since the 2021 military coup, according to partial results released by state media.

The vote, which the ruling junta claims will help restore political stability after years of unrest, has drawn widespread criticism from the United Nations, Western governments and human rights groups, who say the process excludes key opposition parties and restricts free political expression.

Preliminary figures published by the Union Election Commission (UEC) covering 56 constituencies show the USDP, led largely by retired military generals, winning the vast majority of seats counted so far. The party secured 38 of the 40 seats declared in the Pyithu Hluttaw, Myanmar’s lower house of parliament.

Minor parties saw limited success, with the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party, also known as the White Tiger Party, and the Mon Unity Party each winning one seat. At the regional and state level, the USDP captured 14 of the 15 seats announced under the first-past-the-post system, while the Akha National Development Party won one seat.

In the upper house, the Amyotha Hluttaw, only one seat has been officially declared so far, won by the Wa National Party.

The election commission has not revealed how many constituencies participated in the first phase of voting, opting instead to announce results on a constituency-by-constituency basis. The junta said voter turnout in the first round reached 52 percent, notably lower than the roughly 70 percent turnout recorded in the 2015 and 2020 elections, according to the International Foundation for Electoral Systems.

Two additional rounds of voting are scheduled for January 11 and January 25, covering 265 of Myanmar’s 330 townships, including areas where the military does not exercise full control.

The election is being held amid ongoing conflict following the military’s removal of the elected government in 2021. Former civilian leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi remains in detention, while her National League for Democracy party has been dissolved.

Analysts caution that the junta’s efforts to establish a civilian-style government during continued fighting face significant challenges, and any administration formed through the polls is unlikely to gain broad international recognition.

Photo: AFP