Myanmar parliament dominated by pro-military party convenes after 5 years

New parliament opens for the first time since the 2021 coup after elections that excluded major opposition parties.

Myanmar’s parliament has convened for the first time since the 2021 coup after recent elections saw the pro-military party winning most of the seats as major opposition parties were barred from running.

The opening of ⁠the new parliament on Monday followed phased elections in December and January, which the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) dominated amid low voter turnout and no viable opposition.

A quarter of the available seats in the upper and lower houses – 166 seats – were reserved for the military, and the USDP won 339 of the rest. Twenty-one other parties won from one to 20 seats each.

During Monday’s session, Khin Yi, the chairman of the military-backed USDP, was elected speaker of the lower house. He is a former general and police chief, widely regarded as a close ally of Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar’s military ruler.

In addition, a new five-member panel, the Union ⁠Consultative Council, will be established in what some experts have called a “superbody” that would allow Min Aung Hlaing to maintain his grip on both the military and civilian administration.