The emergency, initially declared by acting President Myint Swe for one year. It was extended seven times by a six month period. The emergency expired on July, 2025. The constitution requires that elections be held within six months of the end of the emergency. A census for the election preceded it. It was held in October, 2024.

Vote counting results of last week show USDP has gained 339 out of 586 seats in both houses of parliament. With one quarter of seats constitutionally reserved for the military, this brings the total percentage of seats held by its representatives to 86 per cent.

The election is supposed to be a launching board for civilian rule. But the new administration with strong military influence is expected to be established by March this year. Senior general Ming AungHlaing is the junta leader and interim head of the state. He is likely to be the full President.

There was little scope of fairness in this election in which Myanmarese people just finished voting as most political parties are banned from participating. Tens of thousands of political prisoners are still behind the bars. Earlier, the junta limited the election to just six parties. In all, 40 political organisations were disqualified from fielding candidates.

Among these outfits is Nobel peace prize winner Suu Kyi led National League for Democracy (NLD) which won enough seats to control Parliament . This was in 2020 during the country's last free and fair elections. The NLD was ousted in a 2021 coup. The junta continued to bring out draconian measures thereafter.

A law was enacted last year criminalising any criticism of election. Not going by this law invites sentences ranging from a prison term to capital punishment. Thus there is no real freedom of speech or assembly in this country. Junta spokespersons have claimed that voter turnout hovered above 50 per cent which is touted to be free and fair elections.

The voter turnout claim is likely to be inflated, sources stated. It makes claims of a free and fair elections unfounded. Other factors are pointers to the unlikelihood of free and fair elections. Myanmarese townships lack the infrastructure to safely set up polling stations as the elections were held in the backdrop of a raging civil war.

Millions across the country have been internally displaced by constant fighting between junta forces and activists of a loosely aligned resistance. Many have fled to theneighbouring Thailand and Bangladesh. The involuntary absence of large number of voters belies the junta claim of a well attended voting process. After all, these people had no chance to cast their votes.

The United Nations Human Rights office said that large segments of the population including minorities as also the ethnic Rohingyas were excluded from voting since they lack citizenship and were displaced out of the country. The 11-member South East Asian Nations has said it would not endorse the poll process. (IPA Service)