ASIA/MYANMAR – Elections concluded: victory for the party representing the military junta

Yangon – The third round of elections in Myanmar has concluded, following the first two rounds held on December 28 and January 11, which were already marked by a victory for the Union Solidarity and Development Party , a party closely aligned with the military junta that seized power in the 2021 coup. According to the Election Commission, the vote count confirms the results of the two previous rounds, with the USDP securing a majority of the votes. Approximately 20% of the country’s 330 municipalities voted in the final round, and projections indicate that the USDP is expected to win at least 193 of the 209 seats in the Lower House and 52 of the 78 seats in the Upper House.
The military chief, General Min Aung Hlaing, declared that after the elections, he would transfer the “governmental functions” to a civilian government, which, however, is expected to consist of military personnel in civilian clothes. The new parliament will convene within the next two months and elect the country’s new president. The election, from which democratic parties such as the National League for Democracy were excluded, is expected to be recognized by countries including China, India, Russia, the United States, and among the various Asian countries of Cambodia and Laos, which are members of ASEAN . ASEAN, however, has announced that it will not recognize the Burmese government because it did not send its own observers to the election. Among representatives of parties alternative to the USDP, Ko Ko Gyi, leader of the People’s Party and candidate for the Yangon area elections, as well as a longtime leader of the “Generation 88” students, emphasized that “the army justifies its role in Myanmar’s politics with issues of security and stability.” “But if we succeed in creating a genuine federal system in Myanmar that is effectively implemented, armed conflicts will decrease,” he said. “In this way, the army’s role can be gradually reduced through constitutional amendments once stability is restored.” “I intend to work gradually to reduce the army’s role in politics,” Ko Ko Gyi said. “It is important to address these issues and actively point out what should be discussed in the new parliament,” he explained.
The elections took place while the country is suffering the consequences of the civil war, with severe repercussions such as poverty and isolation for more than 3.5 million people. There is no official toll of the victims of the civil war in Myanmar. According to the non-profit organization Armed Conflict Location & Event Data , which collects reports from media outlets, NGOs, and various local sources, approximately 90,000 people have been killed since the 2021 coup.

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