Myanmar's pro-military party USDP claims landslide victory in first phase of elections - What we know about the polls?

Two days after the first phase of elections were concluded in Myanmar, the pro-military party, Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), has claimed a landslide victory, reported news agency AFP citing a senior party official. According to the figures, the party won over 80 per cent of the lower house seats where voting was held in Sunday. The report also quoted party official saying that it won as many as eight townships in the capital Naypyidaw. While the UN has called the elections under the military junta as “sham," the news agency cited a senior member of the Union Solidarity and Development Party as saying, "We won 82 lower house seats in townships which have finished counting, out of the total of 102."

USDP is described as the civilian proxy of the country's military. The party was defeated by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) in the polls held in 2020. However, after 2021 military coup, Aung San Suu Kyi's party was dissolved, and she has been in house arrest with nothing known about her location. Her party did not participate in the ongoing polls.

Myanmar holds election after five years of civil war

Myanmar is holding three-phased elections even as the country battles a civil war that led to Asia's worst humanitarian crises. The elections are being held in three phases - Dec 28, Jan 11, Jan 25. Myanmar is being ruled by military junta since 2021 after it staged a coup overthrowing an elected civilian government led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. While international community has denounced the polls as “sham”, Myanmar's junta leader Min Aung Hlaing said that the country's elections are “free and fair”, adding, “it is organised by the military, we can't let our name be tarnished.”

However, a law enacted by military regime ahead of the polls has put a question mark on the entire process. In July 2025, Myanmar’s military junta enacted the "Law on the Protection of Multiparty Democratic General Elections from Obstruction, Disruption, and Destruction", popularly known as the Election Protection Law. It imposes death penalty or life imprisonment for those who damage ballot boxes, 10-20 years imprisonment for those who cause "Serious injury" to voters and 3-10 years of imprisonment for those who try to sabotage election in any way.

What is India's stance on Myanmar elections?

India on Friday (Dec 26) expressed support for democratic transition and free, fair as well as inclusive elections in Myanmar. It highlighted that “participation of all stakeholders is important for the credibility of the electoral exercise.” Though Myanmar's junta backed media reported that election observation teams from India along with Russia, China, and Vietnam are in Yangon, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said he doesn't have an update about it, and he would clarify the matter soon.