In Myanmar’s first post-coup election, a military-backed party has taken an early lead amid controversy
The military government reported a 52% voter turnout in the first election held in five years, though observers said participation was lower than in previous polls.
Myanmar’s military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) is leading after the first phase of a controversial general election, according to initial results from state media, in the first vote since the 2021 coup.
The ruling junta, which has crushed pro-democracy protests since its coup and sparked a nationwide insurgency, says the three-phase vote will bring political stability to the impoverished country.
Some results from the first election in Myanmar since 2020, released by the Union Election Commission (UEC) for 56 constituencies, showed that despite low voter turnout, the junta-backed party won by a wide margin, as expected.
The results released on Friday show that the USDP, led by retired generals, won 38 out of 40 seats in the Pyithu Hluttaw, or lower house, for which results have been tallied.
The Shan Nationalities Democratic Party, also known as the White Tiger Party, and the Mon Unity Party (MUP) each won one seat.
Among the military-backed candidates, the USDP won 14 of the 15 regional or state Hluttaw seats counted under the first-past-the-post system, while the Akha National Development Party won one seat.
For the upper house, or Amyotha Hluttaw, only one seat has been declared so far, which was won by the Wa National Party.
No date has been set for the final election results, a situation criticized by the UN, some Western countries, and human rights groups, given that anti-junta political parties are not participating in the elections and criticizing the polls is illegal.
The election panel has not released the total number of seats voted on in the first phase but has instead opted to release partial results on a seat-by-seat basis.
On Wednesday, the junta said that 52% of voters, or more than half of eligible voters, had cast their ballots in the first phase.
However, according to the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, a US-based non-profit organization, this is lower than the nearly 70% turnout in the 2020 and 2015 general elections.
Two more rounds of voting will be held on January 11 and January 25, covering 265 of Myanmar’s 330 townships, some of which are not fully under the junta’s control.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who was ousted by the military after a landslide victory in the last general election in 2020, remains in detention.
Her National League for Democracy party has been dissolved.
Analysts say the junta’s attempt to establish a stable government amid the ongoing conflict is fraught with risks, and any military-controlled administration, even one with a civilian facade, is unlikely to gain significant international recognition.
