Myanmar votes in final phase of post-coup general elections

2026-01-25 - 21:06

NAYPYIDAW — Voting was underway Sunday in the third and final phase of Myanmar’s general elections, with polling taking place in 63 townships nationwide, state media reported. Polling stations opened in the morning and were set to close at 4 p.m. local time (0930 GMT), according to Myanmar Radio and Television. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the country’s acting president, visited polling stations in the Mandalay region. The second phase of voting was held on Jan. 11 in 100 townships, following the first phase on Dec. 28 in 102 townships. Earlier this month, Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Htun, head of the junta’s information team, said a new parliament would convene in March after the elections conclude, with a new government expected to take office in April. The vote will determine members of the Union Parliament, including the lower and upper houses, as well as state and regional legislatures. The newly elected parliament will then choose a president, who will form the next government. Myanmar’s last elected government, led by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, was overthrown in a military coup in 2021, plunging the country into more than four years of emergency rule. Sunday’s polling marks the first general election since the takeover. Myanmar has a bicameral parliament with 664 seats — 440 in the lower house and 224 in the upper house.In 2023, authorities dissolved 40 political parties, including the National League for Democracy. In the current elections, at least six parties with nearly 5,000 candidates are contesting seats, while 57 parties are competing at the regional level. The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party is fielding more than 1,000 candidates.