Htay Oo, the joint-chairman of the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), has conceded defeat in his quest to retain a Lower House seat in Henzada (Hinthada), Irrawaddy Division.

“In Henzada district, we lost almost every constituency,” he told DVB on Monday.

“I was not chosen [by voters] in Henzada, so I will have no say about Henzada in parliament.”

Asked about the national vote, he said, “As for nationwide, we won in some regions, states and divisions, but lost in others.

“We have a higher percentage of losses than wins.

[related]

“At the moment, the results are not yet official but we will accept any outcome.”

He added that the party had not yet ruled out complaints about irregularities in some areas.

Following his comments, several international media incorrectly announced that the ruling party had conceded defeat, and that Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) had won the first free polls in Burma for 25 years.

As of 2:30pm Burmese time, no official results have been released, although several high-ranking USDP members have conceded defeat in their respective constituencies.

Read more Election News