CNI News
20 January 2026
At present, as the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has won the majority of parliamentary seats, there are analyses among military and political observers regarding how the USDP and the Myanmar Tatmadaw will form a government after the election.
A political analyst told CNI News that if there is no prior negotiation and agreement between Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and USDP Chairman U Khin Yi regarding the appointment of the president and the formation of the government after the election, the final decision will have to be made by Members of Parliament (Hluttaw), and such a vote would be very interesting to watch.
He said: “Before the election, the Tatmadaw reportedly sent many generals and responsible officials to contest the election under the USDP banner, and some were also sent to the National Unity Party (NUP). Looking at this, it can be assumed that the current acting president, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services, wants the upcoming parliament to support him as president. The presidential candidate chosen by the military will almost certainly be him. Whether as president or vice president, he will be certainly chosen. Because there is no full confidence about becoming president, generals were placed into political parties—that is my assessment. That is why it appears there was no prior negotiation. If, in reality, there truly was no prior agreement and they have agreed to accept the parliament’s final decision, then the vote inside parliament will be quite interesting.”
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing
The multi-party democratic general election began on December 28, 2025, and is being held in three phases. By January 11, 2026, two phases had already been completed.
Up to the present time, the majority of parliamentary seats have been won by the USDP, with the National Unity Party (NUP) holding the second-largest number of seats.
A political analyst, Sai Mein, told CNI News that regardless of how many parliamentary seats the USDP wins, it will only form a new government in partnership with the military.
He said that military leaders within the party will be included among top government positions, and the USDP will make those selections accordingly.
U Khin Yi
He said: “The main point about the USDP’s strength is that it won against other competitors largely due to a significant number of advance votes. Therefore, the USDP’s victory cannot really be considered a transparent and honest election result. No matter how much dissatisfaction is voiced regarding advance voting, those criticisms are not strong enough to challenge the military. That is why the emergence of the USDP is backed by the military. Therefore, no matter what, the military and the USDP will move forward together. There is really no other option. Even if negotiations are needed, their very existence is intertwined, so it will be a type of prior agreement between them. The USDP will continue to implement what the military needs, and the military will continue to support the USDP. The USDP will also select military leaders within the party to be included among top government officials.”
The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) already holds enough seats to form a government together with the 25 percent of parliamentary seats reserved for Tatmadaw representatives, even before the final phase of the election.
To form a government, a party must secure 50 percent of the 588 seats in the Union Hluttaw — 294 seats. According to reports, the USDP has won 194 seats in the first two phases of the election.
In addition, when combined with the 166 seats held by military-appointed parliamentary representatives, the USDP currently controls a total of 360 seats, exceeding the 294-seat majority required to form a government.
