According to sources from the Ministry of Home Affairs in Naypyidaw, the military council has issued directives to replace village and ward administrators, as well as armed Pyu Saw Htee leadership positions across Myanmar with military supporters and members of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). The directive, issued in June 2025, mandates the immediate replacement of any administrators who served during the previous National League for Democracy (NLD) government. The General Administration Department has instructed that these positions must be filled with military supporters or USDP party members.
Meetings have been held in respective districts instructing the mandatory replacement of administrators and committee members from the previous government. The directive, issued verbally rather than in writing, requires immediate vetting and appointment if USDP members or military supporters propose to take administrator positions in wards and villages. Furthermore, for what they claim as regional stability, the military council has instructed township general administration departments to assist in replacing leadership and key decision-making positions in armed people’s militia (or Pyu Saw Htee groups) and people’s security teams with military supporters and USDP party members.
These actions by the military council appear to be aimed at the upcoming election. The USDP party’s chairperson, Khin Yi, has publicly stated that the party will cooperate with local Pyu Saw Htee groups, people’s security teams, and other security organizations established by the military council during their election campaign activities and party operations. The military council plans to primarily utilize local Pyu Saw Htee and people’s security teams for polling station security and candidate protection in the election scheduled for the end of this year. Sources indicate that these groups will be provided with additional weapons. This systematic replacement of local administrators and security personnel demonstrates the military council’s efforts to consolidate control over local governance structures and security apparatus ahead of the planned election.
