Myanmar’s military junta has announced that it will convene its third sham parliament on 16 March, moving forward with a political transition based on election results that have been widely dismissed as fraudulent by the international community and domestic opposition.
According to a statement released on 23 February, the lower house (Pyithu Hluttaw) is scheduled to begin its session on 16 March, followed by the upper house (Amyotha Hluttaw) on 18 March. Lawmakers have been instructed to report to the capital, Naypyidaw, between 10 and 11 March.
Political analysts and activists have labeled the move a “theatrical display” aimed at deceiving the international community into believing a functional administration exists.
“This sham parliament has nothing to do with the will of the people; it is a script written entirely by the military commission,” one analyst told the Myanmar Pressphoto Agency (MPA). “An illegal organization cannot convene a legal parliament.”
Human rights activists point out the irony of the regime seeking political legitimacy while simultaneously carrying out widespread airstrikes and alleged war crimes against civilian populations. Legal experts also argue that this sham legislative body is constitutionally void.
“This session is legally defunct from the start,” a veteran lawyer noted. “Any resolutions or laws passed during this sham parliament will lack both international and domestic legal standing.”
Observers believe the regime may use this new body to formally designate revolutionary forces as “terrorist organizations” and enact new laws to further suppress dissent. This follows recent junta rhetoric labeling a drone strike at Myitkyina Airport as a “war crime.”
The instructions for military-appointed representatives to report to a specific interrogation and transit camp in Naypyidaw further underscore the military’s total control over the process.
“The public has no interest in this sham parliament,” a political activist said. “It is a desperate political maneuver to prolong the regime’s survival, but it will likely only result in increased domestic resistance and international pressure.”
