The military-appointed Union Election Commission has released partial first-phase results showing the military-backed USDP leading early counts. Authorities say turnout on Dec. 28 exceeded 6 million voters (about 52% of eligible voters in that phase), while the UEC credited the USDP with 38 lower-house seats in partial tallies and named Khin Yi the victor in Naypyitaw. Critics say the vote lacks legitimacy, citing exclusion of major parties, repression and ongoing armed conflict that prevents voting in many townships.
Military-Backed USDP Leads Early Counts as Myanmar's Staged Election Draws Criticism
FILE - Khin Yi, center, chairman of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), cheers together with the party's members during a ceremony to release the party's election manifesto at Thuwunna indoor stadium Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, in Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw, File)
BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military-appointed election authority has begun publishing partial results from the first phase of a three-stage general election, reporting that the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) is leading early counts — a result many observers anticipated.
Early Results And Claims
The Union Election Commission (UEC) published a notice in the state-run Myanma Alinn on Saturday saying the USDP has won 38 seats in the 330-seat Pyithu Hluttaw lower house in these partial tallies, though many constituencies from the Dec. 28 vote remain undeclared. In a separate announcement the UEC named USDP leader Khin Yi the winner in his Naypyitaw constituency; the commission said he received 49,006 of 68,681 ballots cast.
A senior USDP official speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity said the party believes it has won 88 of the 102 seats contested in the first phase and noted that the USDP ran unopposed in 29 constituencies. The UEC also reported that the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party and the Mon Unity Party won one seat each in the partial count.
Turnout, Context And Constraints
Authorities reported that more than 6 million people — roughly 52% of the more than 11 million eligible voters in the first phase held on Dec. 28 — cast ballots. Officials described the participation rate as a decisive success, but independent verification of the turnout and results remains limited.
Critics say the vote is designed to give a veneer of legitimacy to the ruling arrangement. They argue the contest is neither free nor fair because major opposition parties were excluded and dissent has been suppressed; several opposition groups called for a boycott.
Voting is being held in three phases because active armed conflicts prevent simultaneous nationwide polling. The first round took place on Dec. 28 in 102 townships — nearly one-third of Myanmar’s 330 townships — with the remaining phases scheduled for Jan. 11 and Jan. 25. Authorities said 65 townships will not participate because of the fighting.
Political Stakes
Myanmar’s national legislature is bicameral and totals 664 seats. A party or coalition with a parliamentary majority can select the president, who in turn appoints a Cabinet and forms a government. Under the 2008 constitution, the military is automatically allocated 25% of seats in each house.
More than 4,800 candidates from 57 parties are competing for national and regional posts, but only six parties are contesting nationwide with realistic chances of winning significant parliamentary influence; the USDP remains the dominant contender in this field.
Recent Historical Background
Military rule began after soldiers ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 and prevented her National League for Democracy (NLD) from taking a second term despite its landslide victory in the 2020 election. The NLD was dissolved in 2023, along with 39 other parties, after it refused to re-register under military-imposed rules. The takeover triggered widespread resistance that has since escalated into a civil war.
Note: These are early, partial results. Full nationwide outcomes will only be known after the second and third phases conclude and independent verification becomes possible.
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