Opinion | Myanmar’s junta staged an election. It couldn’t stage legitimacy
A closer look at the vote raises doubts about whether the generals can hold the country hostage in the long term
In reality, the presidency and other major appointments are subject to delicate negotiations between USDP leaders and the junta chief. While Min Aung Hlaing allegedly covets the presidency, the constitution states that different people must occupy the positions of commander-in-chief and the two parliamentary speakers.
Analysts will pore over any flicker of tension between these individuals – not for signs of budding democracy, but of instability within the ruling clique.
Another vulnerability lies beyond the corridors of Naypyidaw, however. The USDP’s sweeping victory in the recent election – surpassing 80 per cent of elected seats in the national legislature – has distracted attention from its actual vote share. Official figures put this at about 44 per cent of all ballots cast, before the distortions of the “winner-takes-all” electoral system.