Myanmar Election Hands Power to Military-Backed Party Amid Ongoing Civil War

Post by : Saif Nasser

Myanmar’s general election has delivered a clear victory to the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party, confirming an outcome that many inside and outside the country had expected. The vote was held while Myanmar remains trapped in civil war, political repression, and deep social unrest following the 2021 military coup.

State media reported that the USDP won an overwhelming majority in both houses of parliament. In the lower house, the party secured 232 of the 263 seats contested. In the upper house, it won 109 of the 157 seats announced so far. With these results, the party is set to dominate the next government, which is expected to take office in April after parliament convenes in March.

The election took place in three phases, starting on December 28 and ending in late January. It came more than four years after the military removed the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, and detained her along with other leaders. Since that coup, Myanmar has faced widespread protests, armed resistance, and violent crackdowns by security forces.

The military government says the election was free, fair, and supported by the public. Junta leaders describe the vote as a step toward stability and a return to civilian rule. However, critics strongly disagree. Human rights groups, several Western governments, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have refused to endorse the process, calling it deeply flawed.

One major reason for this criticism is the exclusion of key political forces. Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, which won a landslide victory in the last free election in 2020, was dissolved along with dozens of other parties. Some remaining parties chose not to participate, saying the rules were unfair and designed to favor the military.

Even under Myanmar’s constitution, the armed forces are guaranteed 25 percent of parliamentary seats without any election. This rule ensures that the military keeps strong control over politics, regardless of election results. Because of this, many observers say the vote cannot bring real democratic change.

The USDP itself has close ties to the military. It was formed in 2010 to act as a political arm of the armed forces after decades of direct military rule. Its leaders include retired senior officers, and it fielded more than a thousand candidates in the election. Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing is also expected to remain highly influential in the next government.

Voter turnout was lower than in past elections. Officials said about 55 percent of eligible voters took part, compared with around 70 percent in earlier polls. Voting was held in only 263 of Myanmar’s 330 townships. In many areas, elections were cancelled due to ongoing fighting between the military, ethnic armed groups, and resistance forces that formed after the coup.

The conflict has taken a heavy toll on civilians. The United Nations estimates that around 3.6 million people have been displaced by the violence. For many citizens, daily life remains dominated by insecurity, shortages, and fear, making meaningful participation in elections difficult or impossible.

As Myanmar moves toward forming a new government, the election result is unlikely to ease tensions or end the conflict. Instead, it highlights how firmly the military remains in control, even as the country continues to face one of the worst crises in its modern history.