Myanmar's Controversial Election Concludes Amidst Claims of Fraud

Sun Feb 01 2026 11:59:51 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The final stage of Myanmar's election has ended, igniting criticisms over the legitimacy of the process marked by military influence and civil unrest.

Polls in Myanmar closed after a contentious final round of voting widely condemned as a sham, with allegations of bans on popular parties. The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party is expected to dominate, perpetuating a regime that lacks genuine democratic foundations. Despite an orderly voting atmosphere, reports of intimidation and fear foreground concerns over the country's ongoing civil war and political instability.

Polls in Myanmar have closed after a third and final stage of voting in what are widely viewed as sham elections. Many popular parties are banned from standing and voting has not been possible in large areas of the country because of a five-year-long civil war.

The dominant party backed by the ruling military junta is expected to win a landslide victory. The current regime has rejected international criticism of the election, maintaining that it is free and fair.

Around one-fifth of the country's 330 townships, including the cities of Yangon and Mandalay, voted in the last stage. Six parties, including the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), fielded candidates nationwide, while another 51 parties and independent candidates contested state and regional levels.

Two previous rounds were held on December 28 and January 11, giving overwhelming victories to the USDP. The party won only 6% of parliamentary seats in the last free election in 2020.

As in previous rounds of this strange, month-long election, voting was orderly and peaceful at the polling station in Nyaungshwe, Shan State, which a BBC team observed. Set in a large school, shaded by huge rain trees, there were ample volunteers and officials to guide voters on how to use new electronic voting machines. However, the atmosphere was marred by a preceding period of fear and intimidation during the campaigning.

The military junta took control of Myanmar in a 2021 coup, ousting an elected civilian government led by Nobel Peace Prize Winner Aung San Suu Kyi. She remains in detention, and the military has been engaged in ongoing conflict with resistance groups that oppose the coup. This civil unrest has spun into a humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by recent natural disasters and international funding cuts.