Elections in Myanmar

The Union Election Commission (UEC) organizes and supervises elections in Myanmar. Election Sub-commissions at regional, district, township, ward and village-tract levels prepare voter lists, polling arrangements and result documents. The legal framework includes the 2008 Constitution, the three Hluttaw Election Laws, the UEC Law and the Political Parties Registration Law. Myanmar's Union legislature, the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, has two chambers. The Pyithu Hluttaw uses first-past-the-post voting, meaning that the candidate with the most votes in a constituency wins. The Amyotha Hluttaw and the Region or State Hluttaws use a mixed system with constituency seats and proportional-representation party lists. In the 2025/26 design, 330 Pyithu seats, 84 Amyotha constituency seats, 26 Amyotha party-list seats, 322 Region or State constituency seats and 42 Region or State party-list seats were contested, alongside 29 Ethnic Affairs constituencies. The Constitution also provides up to 110 Tatmadaw nominees in the Pyithu Hluttaw and 56 in the Amyotha Hluttaw, producing a 25 percent military share at Union level. The President is not elected directly by voters. Three groups of the Presidential Electoral College each nominate a Vice-President, and the combined Pyidaungsu Hluttaw elects one of them as President. The presidential term is five years. This process followed the 2025/26 parliamentary election; on 3 April 2026, Min Aung Hlaing was elected President, with U Nyo Saw and Daw Nan Ni Ni Aye as the other Vice-Presidents. A voter generally needs to be at least 18 years old, hold Myanmar citizenship or another legally recognized voting status, and have a name on the relevant electoral roll. The law excludes categories including members of religious orders, prisoners, people judicially found to be of unsound mind and non-rehabilitated insolvent persons. In practice, the 2025 election process also required a national identity card and inclusion on the electoral roll. Voters could review their names, identity details and constituency during three publication and inspection rounds. Form 3 could be used to request inclusion, Form 4 to object to an entry or request removal, and Form 4-C to correct personal data. The forms were available without a fee from the responsible Sub-commission. A voter outside the registered township could use Form 15 in eligible situations. The arrangements covered categories such as temporary displacement, students, trainees, detainees, hospital patients, elderly or seriously ill voters, people giving birth and certain service personnel. Voting from abroad required government permission and an advance certificate. Myanmar used embassies, permanent missions and consulates for overseas voting, with voting available at 50 missions in 2025. The 2025/26 election was held in three announced stages: 28 December 2025 in 102 townships, 11 January 2026 in 100 townships and 25 January 2026 in 61 townships. The UEC reported final polling in 263 of 330 townships, covering 263 Pyithu, 99 Amyotha, 297 Region or State and 29 Ethnic Affairs constituencies. The remaining areas were left for later by-elections or other procedures. Polling stations generally opened from 6:00, subject to local arrangements. Voters were identified against the roll, and Myanmar Electronic Voting Machines, or MEVMs, were used at polling stations in 2025. Ballot secrecy was a formal rule, while access to polling, movement, media and information depended heavily on local security conditions. After polling closed, station officials counted votes and consolidated machine results with advance ballots. Candidate and party agents, witnesses and members of the public could be present under the stated procedures. Sub-commissions and the UEC published results, valid-vote totals, percentages and elected representatives. Election Tribunals considered objections, and the UEC described its decisions and tribunal revisions as final and conclusive under its framework. Vacant or postponed seats can lead to by-elections or replacement procedures. The Constitution and UEC framework also provide a recall process based on a petition from at least 1 percent of the original voters. The UEC and government reported 24.22 million eligible voters, more than 13.14 million votes and turnout above 54.22 percent in the 263 townships where the election was held. They described the election as free, fair and credible. UN and OHCHR reporting identified armed conflict, exclusion of major parties and candidates, surveillance, restrictions on movement, expression and information, and the exclusion of displaced people and minorities as conditions affecting the credibility and freedom of the process. The United Nations did not support or observe the election. The International Independent Mechanism for Myanmar also reported criminal penalties for election-related criticism or obstruction, including possible sentences of up to 20 years or the death penalty. Myanmar therefore has an established formal electoral structure, while actual participation and the legitimacy of results remain uneven and contested across the country.