Myanmar’s pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) is reportedly leading in the first phase of junta-run elections, according to a party source, raising concerns about the consolidation of military power. The elections come after the armed forces seized control in a 2021 coup, promising to restore civilian rule.
The election excludes Aung San Suu Kyi’s popular National League for Democracy, which remains dissolved and whose leader is still imprisoned. Critics argue the candidate list is dominated by military allies, while rights groups and diplomats have condemned the process as undermining democracy.
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Voting in Sunday’s first phase covered 102 of 330 townships, marking the largest round of a month-long, three-phase election. However, the military acknowledged that nearly one in five constituencies could not hold elections due to ongoing civil conflict and resistance from ethnic minority forces.
Military chief Min Aung Hlaing insisted the vote is “free and fair” despite international criticism, urging citizens to trust the armed forces to return power to a civilian-led government. The Union Election Commission has not yet released official results, and two more phases are scheduled for January.
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Observers warn that the election, amid civil war and suppression of dissent, risks entrenching military control and undermining efforts for democracy. The results of all three phases will likely determine the country’s political trajectory for years to come.