India, Jan. 27 -- Myanmar's military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party claimed on Monday that it had won the country's first election since the army seized power in 2021, paving the way for a new Government.

The victory of the party led by a former general was widely expected after the vote excluded major opposition parties and dissent was tightly restricted. Also, 25 per cent of parliamentary seats were automatically reserved for the military- effectively guaranteeing control by the armed forces and their favoured parties.

Critics say the polls organised by the military government were neither free nor fair, but an effort to legitimise its rule after seizing power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The takeove...