Myanmar Parliament Reconvenes After Over 5 Years, Elects New Speaker

On the 16th, the first session of the third House of Representatives (Lower House) was held in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw, where Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) chairman Khin Yi was elected as the new Speaker of the Lower House.

On that day, Myanmar's parliament held its first session after more than five years, ensuring that the ruling military will continue to firmly hold on to power. Photos released by the media show that about one-quarter of the attending Members of Parliament were in military uniforms, as one-quarter of the Lower House's MPs are appointed by the government.

In February 2021, Myanmar's military launched a coup d'état, seizing power from Aung San Suu Kyi's legally elected government and immediately stopping parliament from convening. Since then, the legislative branch had been paralyzed. The military government claimed that last year's and this January's nationwide elections were a step toward a return to democracy.

Myanmar's elections were carried out in three phases: the first phase of voting took place on December 28, 2025, in 102 townships; the second phase on January 11 this year in 100 townships; and the third phase on January 25 in 61 townships.

According to data released by the Myanmar Union Election Commission on January 29, the USDP won a majority of seats in the Union Parliament.

The Myanmar Union Parliament consists of the House of Representatives and the House of Nationalities (Upper House), with a total of 664 seats (including 166 non-elected military seats): 440 in the Lower House and 224 in the Upper House.

The Upper House is expected to open on the 18th. The new Union Parliament will elect a new president, who will then form a Union government.

Barring any surprises, the military-controlled parliament will elect the incumbent acting president Min Aung Hlaing as the new president.

According to Myanmar’s constitution, the president cannot simultaneously hold the military’s highest rank of Senior General. There is still speculation about Min Aung Hlaing's future position. Quoting a UN Myanmar human rights expert, AFP reported that it is unclear what Min Aung Hlaing's future role will be, but it is clear he will continue to control the government and the military. “This will be a military regime dressed in civilian clothes.”