YANGON (The Pak Global Pakistan) – Myanmar’s main pro-military political party has claimed victory in junta-organised elections, according to a party source, following a month-long voting process that democracy groups and opposition voices have widely condemned as an attempt to legitimise continued army rule.
The elections concluded on Sunday, four years after Myanmar’s military seized power in a 2021 coup that toppled the elected civilian government and plunged the country into ongoing civil war. The junta had promoted the three-phase vote as a pathway to restoring democratic governance.
However, critics argue the process was heavily manipulated to favour military-backed groups. Popular democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi remains detained, and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party was dissolved, leaving the political field largely dominated by army-aligned parties.
A senior official from the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) said the party had already secured a majority of seats, placing it in a position to form the next government. The official spoke anonymously, citing restrictions on releasing preliminary results.
“We won a majority already and will move forward with forming a new government,” the source said.
The USDP is widely viewed by analysts as a civilian front for the military establishment, staffed largely by retired senior officers. Many observers believe the election was carefully stage-managed to provide a civilian façade for continued military control.
Voting did not take place in large areas of the country controlled by armed resistance groups, raising further doubts about the legitimacy of the process. Elections were cancelled in nearly one-fifth of Myanmar’s townships due to ongoing fighting.
Residents in Yangon expressed scepticism over the outcome. “They won before the election even started,” said a local resident who asked not to be named for security reasons. “They were the only competitors, and they controlled the rules.”
Under Myanmar’s military-era constitution, 25 percent of parliamentary seats are automatically reserved for the armed forces, ensuring significant influence regardless of election results. A joint session of parliament is expected to convene in March to elect the country’s president.
Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, who visited polling stations in Mandalay on Sunday, has not ruled out assuming the presidency under the new political setup.
Despite the military portraying the vote as a step toward national reconciliation, resistance groups have rejected it outright. Conflict monitoring organisations say the election is unlikely to ease the civil war, which has intensified in recent months.
Human rights groups report that the military carried out heavy pre-election offensives, some of which may amount to war crimes. New laws have also criminalised criticism of the election, with penalties of up to 10 years in prison.
According to rights monitors, more than 22,000 political prisoners remain behind bars. Meanwhile, parties that won the vast majority of seats in the 2020 election were barred from participating in the latest vote.
UN human rights expert Tom Andrews warned that international recognition of the election could further undermine efforts to resolve Myanmar’s crisis. “The real test is how the world responds to this fraudulent exercise,” he said.
Official election results are expected to be announced later this week.