The government had its first parliamentary session in more than five years following an election that did not include major opposition parties, ensuring that the ruling military is set to retain a firm grasp on power.
The military blocked Myanmar’s last parliament from convening when it seized power from the last legitimately elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, and has governed without a legislature since then.
It touted elections held in late December and January as a step towards the return of democracy, but the military and its allies hold nearly 90% of the seats in the two-chamber parliament.
Meanwhile, Myanmar’s former ruling National League for Democracy and other major opposition parties were either blocked from running or refused to compete under conditions they deemed unfair.
Delegates wearing traditional attire arrived in the capital, Naypyidaw, on Monday for the opening session of the 373-seat lower house, which convened in the tightly-guarded parliamentary complex.
Security forces sealed roads leading to the parliament and vehicles were searched for explosives before entering.
The new Parliament’s first task is to elect a speaker for each chamber, then elect a president and two vice presidents.
During Monday’s session, Khin Yi, chairman of the military- backed Union Solidarity and Development Party, was elected as speaker of the lower house.
He is a former general and police chief, regarded as a close ally of Senior Gen Min Aung Hlaing, the country’s military ruler.
The 213-seat upper house is scheduled to open today, with 14 regional parliaments set to convene two days later.
A quarter of the available seats in the upper and lower houses – 166 seats – were reserved for the military by the military-written constitution, and the USDP won 339 of the rest.
Twenty-one other parties won between one and 20 seats each.
Critics described the vote organised by the military government as an effort to legitimise its rule.
The 2021 coup triggered widespread opposition that dragged Myanmar into a civil war.
Min Aung Hlaing, who heads the current military government, is widely expected to assume the presidency. — AP
