Voting began Sunday in Myanmar’s final round of a three-stage general election, capping a monthlong process that has already ensured the military and its allies will retain control of the national legislature.
Critics say the polls are neither free nor fair and are designed to legitimize the military after it ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government in February 2021. The army-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has already won most contested seats, while 25% of parliamentary seats are reserved for the military, guaranteeing its majority. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, head of the current military government, is widely expected to assume the presidency.
Suu Kyi, now 80, is serving a 27-year prison term, and her party, the National League for Democracy, was dissolved in 2023. Opposition parties largely boycotted the polls, citing unfair conditions, while a new Election Protection Law has penalized public criticism of the vote.
The election is being held in three phases due to ongoing armed conflicts, and voting was not held in one-fifth of townships. Early results show the USDP and military together already hold nearly 400 of the 586 active parliamentary seats, well above the 294 needed to form a government.
Final results are expected later this week, with the new government set to take office in April.
