Myanmar Parliament Convened After Five-Year Hiatus Under Military Rule

Myanmar’s Parliament Convenes After Recent Elections

The parliament of Myanmar has convened for the first time since the 2021 coup, following a series of elections that saw the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) win most of the seats. The opening of the new parliament took place on Monday, after phased elections in December and January.

During these elections, the USDP dominated with 339 out of 166 reserved seats for the military. Twenty-one other parties won between one to 20 seats each. Khin Yi, a former general and police chief, was elected speaker of the lower house during the session.

A new five-member panel, the Union Consultative Council, has been established, which some experts have described as a “superbody”. This council will allow Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar’s military ruler, to maintain his grip on both the military and civilian administration.

The elections were held amid low voter turnout and lack of viable opposition. Strict laws criminalized public criticism of the vote, and many parties associated with the former ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) were dissolved or barred from participating.

Myanmar has been plagued by civil war and a humanitarian crisis since the 2021 coup. The takeover led to widespread protests and violent crackdowns, resulting in the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi, the 80-year-old former leader, who is serving a 27-year prison term on charges widely viewed as spurious.

The recent electoral process was criticized for lacking transparency and fairness by democracy watchdog groups and opposition figures. Human Rights Watch described the elections as “sham” and a “desperate bid for international legitimacy”. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has declared it will not recognize the election results.

Source: Al Jazeera