Junta sets dates to convene parliament after contested election

Myanmar’s military regime has announced on Tuesday dates for convening parliament following a controversial general election held in three phases after the 2021 coup. According to a February 24 notice in junta-run newspapers, the regime will convene the first regular session of the Pyithu Hluttaw, or Lower house, on March 16 at 10am, followed by the Amyotha Hluttaw, Upper house, on March 18 and regional and state parliaments on March 20, with elected representatives instructed to arrive at designated accommodations in Naypyitaw between March 10 and 11.The first regular session of the upper house will begin at 10am on March 18. Upper house representatives have been directed to report between March 12 and March 13. The military-appointed Union Election Commission wrapped up its multi-phase election on January 25, delivering a landslide win to the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) amid widespread conflict and opposition criticism. Results released February 4 show the USDP secured 339 of 420 elected seats, with voting held from December 28, 2025 to January 11, 2026 across 263 townships.The party’s 339 seats account for approximately 81 percent of all elected civilian representatives, a figure sufficient to form a government without the support of the 166 military-appointed lawmakers who are constitutionally guaranteed seats in parliament.Following the opening of the lower and upper houses, three vice presidential candidates will be nominated, one each by the elected members of the Pyithu Hluttaw, the Amyotha Hluttaw, and the bloc of military appointees. The Union Parliament will then vote to select one of the three nominees as president by a majority vote.The president will subsequently form the new government. Speculation has grown that junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, who has ruled the country since seizing power in February 2021, may assume the presidency under the new parliamentary arrangement.

Junta sets dates to convene parliament after contested election

Lower and upper houses will meet in mid-March following a military-run vote that handed the USDP 81 percent of elected seats, fueling speculation Min Aung Hlaing could seek the presidency

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