Myanmar’s Pro-Military Parliament Has Elected The Junta Chief Who Led The Coup As President
The military has also made it illegal to criticize the elections, arresting at least 229 people under a new law that makes it a crime to speak out against the elections.
Myanmar’s pro-military parliament has elected the junta chief who led the coup as president on April 3, 2026.
In Feb. 2021, Myanmar’s military took power and arrested the country’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi and president Win Myint, accusing their party of fraud in the election.
After the coup, it declared a state of emergency, promising new elections “without fail” by August 2023 but continued to extend the state of emergency and delay elections while fighting the resistance groups.
In 2023, the junta enacted a new law that makes it harder for parties to register for the election, banning people who had been convicted of a crime — including Aung San Suu Kyi and Win Myint — from participating, as well as changing the electoral system.
This led 40 parties, including the National League for Democracy, to disband because they did not want to swear allegiance to the regime.
The move was seen as a way to “clear the field” for the Union Solidarity Development Party, which is backed by the military and did not receive many votes in previous elections, according to the New York Times.
The junta had finally announced the plan for new elections in March 2025 and held a multi-phase election from Dec. 2025 to Jan. 2026.
However, opposition parties were excluded from the ballot and people living in 65 rebel-held areas were banned from voting.
The vote took place in the parliament dominated by the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which controlled over 86% of seats.
On April 3, the junta chief Min Aung Hlaing was elected by the pro-military parliament and secured 80% of votes, winning 429 of 584 votes.
The military has also made it illegal to criticize the elections, arresting at least 229 people under a new law that makes it a crime to speak out against the elections.
Meanwhile, Myanmar’s chief general promised the elections were “free and fair”.
Min Aung Hlaing also appointed his former ally and spymaster, Ye Win Oo, to succeed him as commander-in-chief.
Human rights groups said the opposition groups may face intensified military pressure with him elected.
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Cherry Mohamed
Isha Jain
Isha Jain
