Min Aung Hlaing dismisses international criticism as final phase of Myanmar’s phased election concludes

Mizzima

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Acting President and Chairman of the State Security and Peace Commission (SSPC), visited Chanmyathazi Township today to oversee the conclusion of Myanmar’s three-stage general election.

As polling stations across 61 townships opened at 6:00 am this Sunday, 25 January, 2026, the junta leader explicitly brushed off global condemnation of the process.

“It is the people living in Myanmar who are voting, not people from the outside. Whether foreign countries recognize it or not is something we do not concern ourselves with. If the people recognize it, then this is how we must move forward,” Min Aung Hlaing told reporters at a Mandalay polling station.

He further attributed low turnout in some areas to “security concerns” and the absence of certain political parties on the ballot.

The final phase was reduced to 61 townships from an original 63 after the Union Election Commission (UEC) cancelled voting in Mansi and Momauk (Kachin State) on 20 January, citing a total loss of administrative control. Across the entire month-long process, only 263 of Myanmar’s 330 townships participated. The remaining 67 townships, largely in conflict-heavy regions like Rakhine, Chin, and Sagaing, saw no voting at all.

According to UEC announcements as of 17 January, the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has won 80 out of 94 Pyithu Hluttaw (Lower House) seats and 31 out of 47 Amyotha Hluttaw (Upper House) seats contested across the previous Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the election.

Min Aung Hlaing has announced that the new Parliament will be convened in March 2026, with the formal transfer of state responsibilities to the winning government scheduled for April. Speaking to military families at the Eastern Central Command in Kho Lam, Shan State, on 20 January, the junta leader stated that the transition would follow “established procedures” once the three-phase electoral roadmap is finalized.

While the junta has welcomed observers from eight nations including Russia, China, and India, the UN, EU, and ASEAN have formally refused to recognize the results, with Malaysia’s Foreign Minister stating last week that the bloc will not certify the election.

According to early reporting and independent monitors, the military-backed USDP is on track for a landslide victory in the participating constituencies, having already claimed over 85% of contested seats in the first two rounds.