Finance
Myanmar’s 2025 multi-party democratic general election began with the first phase on Sunday. This follows five years of the Civil War.
The general election will be held in three phases, the second on January 11, 2026, and the third on January 25.
The election will involve a total of 692 constituencies around the country. Approximately 5,000 candidates from 57 political parties compete for seats in the Pyithu Hluttaw (Lower House), Amyotha Hluttaw (Upper House), and State and Region Hluttaws (State and Region Parliaments).
The election will generate elected members of the Union Parliament (Pyithu Hluttaw and Amyotha Hluttaw), as well as State and Region Parliaments; the new Union Parliament will then elect a new president, who will establish a new Union Government, according to Xinhua news agency.
According to the Union Election Commission, 21,517 polling booths have been set up around the country for the general election.
Unlike past elections, Myanmar has implemented the Mixed-Member Proportional (MMP) system with the Myanmar Electronic Voting Machine. The MMP system combines first-past-the-post and proportional representation, according to Myanmar’s state-owned daily Global New Light.
According to the Ministry of Information, Myanmar residents residing abroad have already voted in advance at embassies and consulates. Election observation teams from numerous nations have arrived in Myanmar to monitor the elections.
Myanmar’s last general election took place in November 2020.
In addition, the National Defence and Security Council’s Information Team reports that 1,183 female parliamentary candidates are running in the general election.
The number of female candidates has increased since previous elections, with 908 in 2020 and 799 in 2015, according to the information team in November.
According to U Khin Maung Oo, a member of the Union Election Commission, the increase in female participation is the result of the introduction of the proportional representation system, which has encouraged more women to enter politics.
Source: IANS
