Myanmar's post-coup parliament sits packed with junta allies Estelle.Bronkhorst Mon, 03/16/2026 - 06:00 NAYPYIDAW - Myanmar's parliament is set to convene for the first time since a military coup five years ago, packed with pro-junta lawmakers elected in a poll orchestrated by the top brass. The majority of MPs hail from the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) while most of the remainder belong to the armed forces, which are entitled to a quarter of unelected seats under the constitution. The lower chamber of parliament is set to convene around 10am before the upper house sits Wednesday -- with the first orders of business expected to be the election of house speakers. The last election in 2020 returned a resounding victory for Aung San Suu Kyi but the junta swept aside the results, detained the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and disbanded her party, triggering civil war. After five years of military rule, the junta stage-managed a phased re-run of the vote in December and January, outlawing criticism of the poll and stacking the ballot with its civilian allies, according to democracy watchdogs. The vote did not take place in huge tracts of the country controlled by rebels and analysts
