Myanmar sets April date for parliamentary by-elections
The Union Election Commission scheduled the vote for April 4 to fill 55 vacant seats, including in regions where fighting continues.
By Peter Graham ·
Myanmar will conduct special elections on April 4 to fill parliamentary vacancies. The Union Election Commission announced the date in an article published Friday in the state-run Myanma Alinn newspaper. This marks the first vote since the general election earlier this year.
The upcoming ballot will address gaps in the legislature created when elected representatives accepted ministerial or other government positions. The Commission identified 55 constituencies for the vote. The breakdown includes 34 seats in the lower house, five in the upper house, and 16 seats in regional and state parliaments.
The conflict that has plagued the country since the 2021 coup will affect the scope of this election. At least seven of the constituencies are located in towns that the military recently recaptured from armed groups. Other voting areas are in seven states and regions where armed conflicts are ongoing. This differs from the January general election, which was held in only 263 of the country's 330 townships due to fighting.
The political balance in the national parliament is expected to remain largely unchanged. The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and its allies secured nearly 90% of parliamentary seats in the January vote. The USDP currently controls the chamber. The lower house has 440 seats and the upper house has 224 seats. Military appointees hold 25% of the seats in each chamber, ensuring a fixed bloc of support for the government.
Min Aung Hlaing, the former army chief who led the 2021 takeover, was sworn in as president in April. Major opposition groups, including Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, were ordered to disband after refusing to participate in the January process. Critics labeled that vote a mechanism to cement military rule. The April by-elections will offer a new measure of public support for the parties contesting the vote.
The military seized power from Suu Kyi's elected government in 2021. Security forces suppressed peaceful protests with lethal force, prompting many opponents to take up arms. Large parts of the country have remained in conflict since that time. The April 4 vote will proceed in areas where the fighting has recently paused or where the military has regained control.
