Polls have closed in Myanmar after the final stage of voting in what critics describe as a sham election, cementing the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party’s (USDP) grip on power.

The month-long process, spread across three rounds since late December, excluded many popular parties and left large swathes of the country unable to vote due to ongoing civil war. Despite this, the regime insists the election was free and fair.

Around one-fifth of Myanmar’s 330 townships, including Yangon and Mandalay, took part in the last stage. Six parties fielded candidates nationwide, but the USDP dominated, as it had in the earlier rounds. In the last genuinely free election in 2020, the party secured just 6% of parliamentary seats.

Observers noted that polling stations, such as one in Nyaungshwe, Shan State, appeared orderly and well-staffed, with electronic voting machines in use. Yet behind the calm scenes lay a climate of fear and intimidation. Locals were reluctant to speak about the vote, wary of repercussions, while journalists reported being closely monitored by police and military officials.

The next steps are set out in the military-drafted constitution. Parliament will convene within two months to select a new president, widely expected to be coup leader Gen Min Aung Hlaing. Though he will formally step down as commander of the armed forces, his successor is certain to be a loyalist. Still, questions remain over his standing within the military, where some senior officers reportedly doubt his leadership.

Myanmar’s junta seized power in 2021, ousting Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government. Suu Kyi remains in detention, and her National League for Democracy has been dissolved. Since then, the military has battled both armed resistance groups and ethnic militias, losing significant territory before regaining ground with support from China and Russia.

The civil war has devastated the country, killing thousands, displacing millions, and wrecking the economy. A major earthquake in March and cuts to international aid have deepened the humanitarian crisis.

For now, the election changes little: the same regime remains in place, dressed in civilian clothes. Yet with more voices entering parliament, some analysts see a faint possibility of debate over Myanmar’s future—and, however distant, the first steps towards ending the conflict.

-2026-01-26

What a surprise!

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