Myanmar's New Parliament to Convene in March Following Military Coup

Yangon. Myanmar's new parliament is set to convene its first session on March 16. This will be the first meeting in over five years since the military seized power from the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021. State media reported on Tuesday that critics of the election have stated the polls were neither free nor fair.

The first session of parliament begins following phased elections held in December and January across 263 out of the country's 330 townships. The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) won a majority, while the former ruling National League for Democracy and other parties refused to participate in the election due to unfair conditions.

According to the state newspaper The Mirror, the lower house with 440 seats will convene on March 16. The upper house for 224 seats will open two days later in Naypyidaw, and the 14 regional parliaments will assemble on March 20.

Although the current process does not signal a transition to full civilian rule, the military and its allies occupy the majority of seats in both houses of parliament. According to the Election Commission, the USDP won 339 out of the total 586 seats in the two houses. Since the constitution automatically grants the military 166 seats, the military government and its allies control a total of 505 seats.

The first task of the new parliament will be to elect the speakers of each house, followed by the selection of the president and two vice presidents. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the current head of the military government, is expected to assume the presidency. However, the constitution prevents the president from simultaneously holding the position of Commander-in-Chief of the military.

Myanmar's 80-year-old former leader Aung San Suu Kyi is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence on politically motivated charges. Her party, which won landslide victories in the 2015 and 2020 elections, was dissolved in 2023 after refusing to register under the new military rule.

The convening of the new parliament is viewed as the first significant political event amidst the complex context of military control and democratic aspirations in Myanmar.