Old Guard Retains Control as Coup Leader Min Aung Hlaing Formally Joins Junta-Backed Party
Myanmar’s military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) concluded its fourth party congress by reappointing its traditional "old guard" to top leadership positions, while officially inducting coup leader Min Aung Hlaing as a formal party member.
The moves, finalized during the central executive committee reshuffle on September 19 and 20, 2026, signal that the regime's political proxy will maintain its rigid pro-military trajectory without any significant policy shifts.
Despite widespread pre-congress rumors of a leadership shake-up, U Khin Yi—a retired brigadier general and former police chief under previous dictator Than Shwe—retained his seat as party chairman.
U Myat Hein was re-elected as vice chairman, while U Thaung Aye was elevated to a vice-chairmanship role.
To solidify coup leader Min Aung Hlaing’s absolute control over the party apparatus, two of his most trusted henchmen, retired lieutenant generals U Thet Pon and U Soe Tint Naing, were appointed to the influential 46-member Central Executive Committee.
The congress officially confirmed that Min Aung Hlaing, who currently holds the presidency under the junta-engineered political system, has taken up formal party membership.
Political analysts note that the consolidation of the old guard indicates a defensive strategy by retired generals to protect their own political survival rather than appease the coup leader.
"The old guards have basically shown that they are still important," noted Myanmar political analyst U Kyi Myint. "The party leaders already know that Min Aung Hlaing will not give them positions in his administration. So, their goal is to protect their own seats."
The political maneuverings happen amid growing public cynicism regarding the regime's attempts to paint its administration with a civilian face.
Although the USDP claimed a heavily manipulated electoral victory, the presidency remains under the military's direct grip, leaving USDP Chairman U Khin Yi to settle for the position of Speaker of the People’s Assembly (Pyithu Hluttaw).
Public critics have dismissed the current parliament as a powerless rubber stamp for the junta, pointing out that Min Aung Hlaing recently bypassed the legislature entirely to directly appoint a new home affairs minister by decree.
Founded originally in 1993 as a mass organization under dictator Than Shwe before transitioning into a political party in 2010, the USDP continues to face severe domestic and international isolation.
Observers emphasize that as Myanmar experiences widespread socioeconomic deterioration and rampant human rights abuses following the 2021 coup, the USDP’s traditional role as a laundering vehicle for retired generals seeking political legitimacy will fail to garner any genuine public trust.
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