Myanmar’s military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party claimed a sweeping election majority Sunday, tightening junta control amid war and global criticism.

Polls opened in Myanmar on Sunday at 6 A.M. local time for the third and final phase of a contentious general election, as the military-aligned party Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) appeared poised for a sweeping victory against the backdrop of an ongoing civil war that has killed thousands and displaced more than 3.5 million people since the ousting of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Critics argue that these elections are designed to add a facade of legitimacy to the government that began after the military junta took control in 2021.

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With 193 lower house and 52 upper house seats won by the USDP, and the military’s fixed 166 seats, their combined total of nearly 400 seats easily surpasses the 294 required for a parliamentary majority.

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who heads the current military government, is widely expected by both supporters and opponents to assume the presidency when the new parliament meets.

According to the election commission, seventeen additional parties have gained representation, though their individual seat counts remain low, ranging from one to ten.

While the military has pledged that the election will return power to the people, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews warned that the run-up was beset with coercion and the crushing of dissent.

“Junta officials have reportedly pressured displaced people, students, civil servants, prisoners and ordinary citizens to participate in the polls by threatening to withhold access to humanitarian aid, education, immigration documents and other government services”, read a UN report on previous rounds, dated January 8.

The military has announced that the parliament will be convened in March, and the new government will take up its duties in April.

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