YANGON, Myanmar (AP) 鈥� Voting was held Sunday in in the final round of a , capping a nearly monthlong process that has already ensured and their allies will command a parliamentary majority to form a new government.
Critics say the polls were neither free nor fair, and were designed to legitimize the power of the military after it ousted the elected civilian government of in February 2021.
The army-backed , or USDP, had already won most of the seats contested in the . Twenty-five percent of the seats in the upper and lower houses of the national Parliament are reserved for the military, guaranteeing it and its allies control of the legislature.
Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, who heads the current military government, is widely expected by both supporters and opponents to assume the presidency when the new Parliament meets.
Voting limited by ongoing civil war
The army’s 2021 takeover triggered widespread opposition that dragged Myanmar into a . Security concerns engendered by the fighting meant voting was not held in more than one-fifth of the country鈥檚 330 townships, another reason the process was described as neither free nor fair.
on Tuesday said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Myanmar is a member, did not send observers and would not certify the election, citing concerns over the lack of inclusive and free participation.
Min Aung Hlaing pushed back against critics of the polls on Sunday, declaring that 鈥渢he people who live in Myanmar are the ones who vote. Not those from outside.”
鈥淲e are not concerned whether this is recognized by foreign countries or not. We recognize the people鈥檚 vote. It should be like that,鈥� he told journalists after inspecting a polling station in Mandalay, the country鈥檚 second-largest city.
Asked if he intended to take part in the new government, he declined to comment, noting the president would be selected when Parliament meets.
Suu Kyi, Myanmar鈥檚 80-year-old former leader, and her party did not participate in the polls. She is serving a 27-year prison term on charges widely viewed as spurious and politically motivated. Her party, the National League for Democracy, won landslide victories in the 2020 and 2015 elections, but was forced to dissolve in 2023 after refusing to register under new military rules.
Other parties also refused to register or declined to run under conditions they deem unfair, while .
A new Election Protection Law imposed harsh penalties for most public criticism of the polls, with the authorities recently for activities such as leafleting or online activity.
Voting began on Sunday at 6 a.m. and ended at 4 p.m. in 61 townships across six regions and three states, including many areas that have seen clashes in recent months.
At the polling station in Dagon township in Yangon, the country鈥檚 largest city, 86-year-old Soe Tint said he cast his ballot because he wants the country to be peaceful and develop 鈥渋n all sectors, including education.鈥�
At the same station, Lae Lae Yi, 62, was less hopeful.
鈥淚鈥檓 not expecting anything at all, because there is no motivation,鈥� she said.
Fighting was reported in at least one township holding polls, with five people injured on Sunday, independent online media, including the Irrawaddy, reported.
The previous two rounds of voting were disrupted by armed groups opposed to military rule carrying out attacks on polling stations and government buildings in several townships, killing at least two administrative officials, according to the military government.
No voting in many areas beset by fighting
The election was held in three phases due to the armed conflict. The first two rounds took place on Dec. 28 and Jan. 11 in 202 of the country鈥檚 330 townships. A total of 67 townships 鈥� mostly areas controlled by armed opposing groups 鈥� did not participate, reducing the original seats in the 664-member national parliament to 586.
Final results for all parliament seats are expected to be announced later this week. The military government has announced that Parliament will be convened in March, and the new government will take up its duties in April.
The party with a majority in the combined upper and lower houses of Parliament can select the new president, who in turn names a Cabinet and forms a new government.
More than 4,800 candidates from 57 political parties are competing for seats in national and regional legislatures, though only six are contesting nationwide. Seventeen other parties aside from the USDP have won a small number of seats in the legislature, ranging from one to 10.
Ko Ko Gyi, chairman of the People鈥檚 Party, which has won a seat in the national parliament, told journalists that checks and balances would be weakened if only a single party dominated the legislature.
鈥淪ince the government is chosen solely by parliament here, if a single party comes to dominate the legislature, the political system becomes one in which the winning party dominates the government,鈥� said Ko Ko Gyi after casting a vote.
The military government said there are more than 24 million eligible voters, about 35% fewer than in 2020. The turnout in the first two rounds of voting was between 50% and 60%, it announced.
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Peck reported from Bangkok.
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