BANGKOK – Myanmar’s election commission, appointed by the military, has started unveiling results from the initial stage of a tripartite general election. As anticipated, the military-aligned party has secured a majority of the seats.

Detractors argue the election merely provides a veneer of legitimacy to the existing power structure, criticizing its lack of fairness due to the exclusion of key parties and governmental suppression of dissenting voices. In response, opposition factions have urged constituents to abstain from voting.

The military regime reported on Wednesday that over 6 million individuals, representing about 52% of the more than 11 million eligible voters in the first election phase on December 28, participated, hailing it as a significant turnout.

Published in the state-controlled Myanma Alinn newspaper, the Union Election Commission (UEC) revealed on Saturday that the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) captured 38 seats in the 330-member Pyithu Hluttaw lower house, though many results from the December 28 election remain pending.

Additionally, another announcement declared USDP leader Khin Yi victorious in his Naypyitaw constituency. Known for his previous roles as a general and police chief, Khin Yi is considered a close associate of military leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. He received 49,006 out of the 68,681 votes cast.

The UEC also reported that the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party and the Mon Unity Party each secured one seat.

Saturday’s announcement was still a partial result, but the USDP’s leaders were convinced of success for the first phase.

A senior official of the USDP told The Associated Press on Saturday that the party has won 88 seats of the total 102 contested in the first phase.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information, said the party ran unopposed in 29 constituencies, facing no challengers or rivals.

Myanmar has a two-house national legislature, totaling 664 seats. The party with a combined parliamentary majority can select the new president, who can name a Cabinet and form a new government. The military automatically receives 25% of seats in each house under the constitution.

The USDP official said the party also won 85% of contested seats in regional legislatures, though complete results will only be known after the second or third phases.

Voting is taking place in three phases due to ongoing armed conflicts, with the first round held on Dec. 28 in 102 townships, nearly a third of Myanmar’s 330 townships. The remaining phases will take place on Jan. 11 and Jan. 25, but 65 townships won’t participate because of the fighting.

While more than 4,800 candidates from 57 parties are competing for seats in national and regional legislatures, only six parties are competing nationwide with the possibility of gaining political clout in parliament. The USDP is by far the strongest contender.

Military rule began when soldiers ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. It blocked her National League for Democracy party from serving a second term despite winning a landslide victory in the 2020 election.

The NLD was dissolved in 2023, along with 39 other parties, after refusing to officially register under the new military rules.

The takeover triggered widespread popular opposition that has grown into a civil war.