USDP secures landslide in second phase of Myanmar’s three-stage general election

Mizzima

The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) dominated the second phase of Myanmar’s general election, securing 111 out of 141 contested seats in the national legislature, according to an announcement by the junta’s Union Election Commission (UEC) on 17 January 2026.

The results solidify the USDP’s path toward forming a new government following the three-stage electoral process that has been widely dismissed by international observers and domestic resistance forces as a “sham.”

In the second round of voting held on 11 January, the USDP captured 80 of the 94 available seats in the Pyithu Hluttaw (Lower House) and 31 of 47 seats in the Amyotha Hluttaw (Upper House).

Trailing significantly, the National Unity Party (NUP) secured a total of eight seats, while the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (White Tiger Party) took three seats in the Lower House.

Minor wins were also recorded by the People’s Party and the People’s Pioneer Party, each winning a single seat in the Upper House. This follow-up victory builds on the USDP’s performance in the first phase on 28 December, 2025, where the party claimed 102 of 116 Pyithu Hluttaw constituencies.

In the first round of the election, conducted on 28 December, 2025, the USDP won 102 of 116 Pyithu Hluttaw constituencies and 21 of 31 Amyotha Hluttaw seats.

After all three rounds of voting, the Pyithu Hluttaw comprising the People’s Assembly and the National Assembly will have a total of 588 seats, including 166 seats reserved for the military. A party or bloc holding at least 295 seats, more than half of the total, is eligible to elect the president.

The USDP currently holds 234 combined seats in the People’s Assembly and National Assembly. With the support of military representatives, the party is already in a position to elect the president. If it wins an additional 61 seats, it will be able to do so without relying on military votes.

Under the three-phase election plan, voting is being conducted in 265 Pyithu Hluttaw constituencies, 73 first-past-the-post (FPTP) constituencies for the National Assembly, and 26 proportional representation (PR) constituencies. The junta has announced that elections will also be held in 257 FPTP constituencies, 42 PR constituencies, and 29 ethnic constituencies for Region and State Hluttaws.

The third round of the election is scheduled to take place in 63 townships on 25 January.

Political parties contesting the election have raised concerns over low voter turnout, problems with voter lists, and irregularities in advance voting.

Due to ongoing conflict, elections could not be held in 65 of the country’s 330 townships, and nearly 4,000 wards and village tracts were excluded even in townships where voting took place.

Revolutionary forces, as well as local and international organizations, have rejected the military-run election, describing it as neither free nor fair and dismissing it as a sham.

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