Sources from the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), a political party supporting Myanmar's military, stated that the party is "winning a majority" in the first phase of elections organized by the military. Meanwhile, democracy observers and international actors said the elections may further entrench military power. Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) was not on the ballot, and Suu Kyi remains detained.
Sources from the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), a pro-military political party in Myanmar, revealed that the party is "winning a majority" in the first phase of voting that began last Sunday. This election was held under the administration of the military government, which seized power in 2021 and promised to return authority to the people.
The first phase of voting began last Sunday (28 Dec), as part of a month-long staged election process. Myanmar's military pledged to restore power to the people. However, the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Aung San Suu Kyi, which had won a landslide victory in 2020, was dissolved and absent from the ballot this time. Suu Kyi herself has remained imprisoned since the 2021 coup.
Activists, Western diplomats, and the United Nations' human rights chief have condemned the election, describing it as a staged event to legitimize military rule. There has been severe repression of dissent, and most candidates on the ballot are military allies.
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar's military leader who has governed under martial law for the past five years, said after voting in Naypyidaw, "We guarantee that this will be a free and fair election. As the military is organizing it, we will not allow our reputation to be tarnished."
The first round of elections covered only 102 townships out of a total 330 nationwide. However, the military acknowledged it could not conduct elections in nearly one-fifth of the lower house constituencies due to ongoing heavy civil war between the Myanmar military and People's Defense Forces (PDF) along with ethnic armed groups.
Currently, Myanmar's election commission has not officially announced results. The second and third phases of voting are scheduled for 11 and 25 January next year, respectively.
/Source/AFP