Voting commenced on Sunday in Myanmar as the final phase of a three-stage general election got underway, bringing to a close a process that has stretched over nearly a month. By the time this last round began, the outcome had already become largely predictable, with the country’s military rulers and their political allies effectively assured of a parliamentary majority that would allow them to form the next government.
Critics, however, have strongly rejected the legitimacy of the electoral exercise, arguing that the polls are neither free nor fair. According to them, the election has been carefully structured to provide a veneer of democratic legitimacy to the military’s continued grip on power following its overthrow of the elected civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.
The military-aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has already secured the bulk of the seats contested in the first two rounds of voting. In addition, the constitutional provision that reserves 25 percent of the seats in both houses of Parliament for serving military officers guarantees that the armed forces, together with their allied parties, will maintain firm control over the legislature regardless of the remaining results.
Against this backdrop, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who currently heads the military administration, is widely expected—by both supporters and critics—to assume the presidency once the newly elected Parliament convenes.
Opponents of the process have repeatedly described the elections as a sham, held under sweeping restrictions that severely limit public criticism and political expression. They argue that the exercise is primarily intended to legitimise the military’s seizure of power after Min Aung Hlaing led the removal of Suu Kyi’s government in 2021. That takeover sparked mass protests and armed resistance, plunging the country into a protracted civil conflict.
The ongoing violence has also directly affected the conduct of the election. Due to security concerns, voting did not take place in more than one-fifth of Myanmar’s 330 townships, a factor frequently cited by critics as further evidence that the process cannot be considered genuinely inclusive or democratic.
International scepticism has been reflected in the stance taken by Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan told his country’s Parliament that ASEAN did not send election observers and would not certify the results, citing serious concerns about the absence of free, fair, and inclusive participation. His remarks marked the clearest indication so far that the 11-member regional bloc does not intend to recognise the outcome of the polls.
While observers from countries such as Russia, China, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Nicaragua, Vietnam, and Cambodia—often described as authoritarian states—were present, along with representatives from India and Japan, many Western governments and regional actors remain deeply critical of the process.
Suu Kyi, now 80 years old, and her former party are entirely absent from the elections. She is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence based on charges that her supporters and international observers widely regard as politically motivated. Her party, the National League for Democracy, was forced to dissolve in 2023 after refusing to re-register under electoral rules imposed by the military authorities.
Several other political parties also declined to participate, either refusing to register or opting not to contest under conditions they described as fundamentally unfair. Opposition groups went further, calling for a boycott of the vote. The environment of repression was reinforced by a new Election Protection Law, which introduced severe penalties for most forms of public criticism. Under this law, more than 400 people have reportedly been charged in recent weeks for activities such as distributing leaflets or posting critical content online.
The earlier rounds of voting were marred by violence, with armed groups opposed to military rule attacking polling stations and government buildings in multiple townships. According to statements from the military authorities, at least two administrative officials were killed during these incidents.
Sunday’s voting began at 6 am in 61 townships spread across six regions and three states, including areas that have experienced clashes in recent months. The election has been staggered across three phases precisely because of the ongoing conflict. The first two rounds, held on December 28 and January 11, covered 202 townships. Another 67 townships—mostly under the control of armed opposition groups—did not participate at all, reducing the total number of contested seats in the 664-member national Parliament to 586.
Final results for all parliamentary seats are expected to be announced later this week. The military authorities have stated that Parliament will convene in March, with the new government scheduled to assume office in April. Under Myanmar’s political system, the party or alliance controlling a majority in the combined upper and lower houses selects the president, who then appoints the Cabinet and forms the government.
Figures released by the Union Election Commission after the first two rounds showed that the USDP won 233 seats across the two chambers. When combined with the 166 seats automatically allocated to the military, this gives them close to 400 seats—well above the 294 required to form a government. Seventeen other parties have won only small numbers of seats, ranging from one to ten each.
In total, more than 4,800 candidates from 57 political parties are contesting seats in national and regional legislatures, although only six parties are competing nationwide. The military government has claimed that there are over 24 million eligible voters, a figure roughly 35 percent lower than in the 2020 election. Official estimates place voter turnout in the first two rounds at between 50 and 60 percent.
