"It is strange that there is no serious domestic or international discussion of the democratic consequences of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) potentially being weakened after the 2020 general elections in Myanmar. Serious albeit protracted peace negotiations are taking place between the Government of Myanmar (GoM), the Tatmadaw, and various ethnic armed groups (EAGs), all supposedly towards achieving federalism. The international community has also weighed in on the plight of Rohingya refugees, concerned with human rights and citizenship. Notwithstanding the importance of federalism, human rights, and citizenship in themselves, all of these issues are all related to the most consequential political task at hand in Myanmar: democratic transition and institutionalisation. It will be difficult to achieve genuine progress on any of these fronts without first achieving an institutionalised democracy. For achieving an institutionalised democracy, the USDP may yet play an eminent role. The experiences of other countries that have attempted to transition out of the military rule, much as Myanmar is currently endeavouring, suggest that the configuration of political parties and the security environment matter for the future of democracy. In this regard, the status of the USDP as a military proxy party is pertinent to the future of democracy in Myanmar. The 2015 elections and their consequences The State Law & Order Restoration Council (SLORC), the previous military regime, intended the USDP to be a ruling party driving the transition from direct military rule. The USDP, then called the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), began as the military’s mass organisation in 1993. The regime contributed resources to develop the USDA’s organisation and presence throughout Myanmar, while repressing the activities of opposition parties, including the National League for Democracy (NLD). In 2010, the USDA was renamed as the USDP and registered as a party to contest the general elections. Together with another military-proxy party, the National Unity Party (NUP), it secured 70% of the votes in the 2010 general elections, which were boycotted by the NLD and other opposition parties, and became the ruling party during the transitional period between 2011 and the election of the current NLD-led government in 2016. Although the USDP’s origins are intertwined with the military’s forays into politics, it is unclear to what extent the present-day USDP exists as an entity independent of the military’s sway. Regardless of the actual inner workings between it and the military, it is the public image of its continued association with the military that makes it salient to voters..."