according to state media, following tightly controlled voting held amid civil war and widespread repression.

The final round of voting last weekend concluded an election that began on 28 December, more than four years after the military seized power in a coup that overturned the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Dominating all three phases of the vote, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) won an overwhelming majority in Myanmar’s two legislative chambers, state media reported. The USDP secured 232 of the 263 seats contested in the lower house and 109 of the 157 seats announced so far in the upper house, according to results released on Thursday and Friday.

A spokesperson for the military authorities, Zaw Min Tun, said parliament is expected to convene in March to elect a president, with a new government set to take office in April, according to the pro-military Eleven Media Group.

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has been in political turmoil since the 2021 coup. The military’s violent suppression of pro-democracy protests triggered a nationwide armed rebellion. Thousands have been killed and around 3.6 million people displaced, according to the United Nations.

The 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations  has said it will not endorse Myanmar’s electoral process. Human rights groups and several Western governments have also raised concerns over the election’s credibility.

The UN human rights office said large segments of the population were excluded from voting, including minorities such as the Muslim Rohingya, many of whom have been denied citizenship or displaced beyond Myanmar’s borders.

At least 170 civilians were killed in air strikes during the election period and around 400 people were arrested, the UN said. “Many people chose either to vote or not to vote purely out of fear,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. (Aljazeera)