Myanmar Parliament Set to Meet March 16 After Controversial Elections

Myanmar's newly elected parliament will hold its first session on March 16, marking the country's first legislative meeting in over five years since the military coup in 2021. The military-backed party won a majority of seats in elections that opposition groups boycotted, calling them unfair.

Myanmar’s freshly elected legislative body is scheduled to hold its inaugural session next month, according to state media reports released Tuesday, following elections that opposition groups criticized as illegitimate.

The March 16 gathering will mark the first time lawmakers have met in over five years, dating back to when military forces overthrew the civilian government headed by Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021. That military takeover triggered widespread civil unrest and armed opposition that has since escalated into full-scale civil conflict.

This parliamentary session follows staged voting that took place during December and January across 263 of Myanmar’s 330 townships.

The military-supported Union Solidarity and Development Party, known as USDP, secured most legislative seats during the voting process. Myanmar’s previous governing party, the National League for Democracy, along with several other political organizations, refused to participate in elections they considered rigged.

While military authorities characterized the voting as a democratic restoration, opposition voices argue the elections were orchestrated to provide legal cover for military control following Suu Kyi’s removal in February 2021.

Government-controlled Myanma Alinn newspaper announced that the 440-member lower chamber will start proceedings March 16, while the 224-seat upper chamber will begin operations two days afterward in Naypyitaw, the nation’s capital. Regional assemblies numbering 14 will start meeting March 20, according to separate official statements.

The bicameral legislative body is theoretically designed to take over from the existing military administration, though this transition is unlikely to represent genuine civilian governance. Military forces and their political allies control most positions in both legislative chambers, guaranteeing continued army dominance.

Union Election Commission data shows the USDP captured 339 of 586 total parliamentary positions across both chambers. Combined with constitutionally guaranteed military seats numbering 166, these two groups control 505 positions — representing over 86% of the entire legislature. Twenty-one additional parties secured between one and 20 seats respectively.

Initial parliamentary duties will include selecting leadership for each chamber, followed by choosing a president and two deputy presidents.

Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, who currently leads the military government, is anticipated to take the presidential role. However, constitutional provisions prevent simultaneous service as president and military commander-in-chief — Myanmar’s most influential position — creating uncertainty about whether he would abandon his military command.

Suu Kyi, the 80-year-old former national leader, remains imprisoned serving a 27-year sentence on charges considered fabricated and politically driven by most observers. Her political organization, which achieved overwhelming victories in both 2020 and 2015 elections, faced forced dissolution in 2023 after declining to comply with new military registration requirements.