By Ra Wai | MPA
Mawlamyine, Myanmar — The Myanmar military’s proxy party has suffered an unexpected setback in Mon State, conceding a significant number of seats to a local ethnic rival in what residents are describing as a widespread “protest vote” against the junta’s rule.
Despite projections of a clean sweep in the regime-managed election, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) secured 21 seats across the state’s ten townships, while the Mon Unity Party (MUP) surprised observers by capturing 17 seats—its strongest showing since 2010.
Local sources in Mawlamyine suggest the result was driven not by support for the ethnic party, but by deep-seated animosity toward the military.
“The USDP was confident of a total victory,” a resident told MPA. “However, the local population’s disdain for the military proxy is so intense that they cast their ballots for the Mon party simply to block the USDP. It was not a vote of confidence in the MUP; it was a rejection of the generals.”
The election was marred by allegations of fraud, particularly in Chaungzon Township, where the junta-appointed Chief Minister and USDP state chair, Aung Kyi Thein, was running.
According to witnesses, the Chief Minister was trailing the MUP candidate in the regular ballot count but was declared the winner after a batch of controversial “advance votes” arrived late to tip the scale.
“Everyone in Chaungzon knows the votes were stolen to save the Chief Minister,” said a resident from Thakaw village. Sources claim the Mon Unity Party did not dare to officially challenge the result, fearing retribution from the sitting Chief Minister. Critics describe the current MUP leadership as “subservient” to the military regime, operating under a veil of fear.
While the USDP retained the majority, the results highlight the limits of their control.
USDP (21 Seats): Including 5 Lower House, 3 Upper House, and 6 State Parliament seats via the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) system, plus ethnic affairs and PR seats.
MUP (17 Seats): Including 5 Lower House and 4 State Parliament seats.Other smaller parties, including the National Unity Party and the People’s Party, failed to win a single constituency under the direct voting system but managed to secure a handful of seats through the Proportional Representation (PR) mechanism.
