Myanmar 2020: Elections in a pandemic

Demystifying Myanmar’s Transition and Political Crisis, 2022

Myanmar's February 1, 2021 coup d'état, and the subsequent war waged by the military or Tatmadaw to repress opposition to it have transformed the Union from a budding democracy into a killing field with more than 1200 fatalities as of November 2021. The promising chapter of Myanmar's democratic and economic transition, albeit limited in duration and reach, has come to an end, as has the Union's ongoing reintegration into the international order after roughly sixty years of isolation.

A broad-brush assessment of future prospects following the landmark general elections in Myanmar on 8 November 2015. Arguably one of the most significant political developments in the region for 2015, there are still many uncertainties surrounding the certain reality of a long-standing opposition party taking over the reins of government in Myanmar.

2015

The article examines some aspects of the changes taking place in Myanmar in connection with the elections held on November 7, 2010 and the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, the worldwide recognised opposition leader one week later. After providing an overview of the country‟s post-war elections the political strategies of Suu Kyi and the military are outlined, contrasting the symbolic politics of Suu Kyi and the military with its roadmap towards a “disciplined democracy”. Next, the impact of “third forces”, both in the Burmese heartland and on the country‟s fringes which are inhabited by a variety of ethnic groups, is considered. The final section makes a cautious estimate of the prospects for the transition process which may well depend on the international response to the activities of Myanmar‟s various political actors.

Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, 2019

For the most time since independence in 1948, Myanmar had been ruled by a ruthless military junta which also controlled large swathes of the economy. In 2008, the military promulgated, as part of its so-called "roadmap to democracy" process, a new constitution which foresaw the holding of free and fair elections for the country's new bicameral parliament. Notably, the military retained a de facto veto over future constitutional changes by reserving a quarter of the seats in both houses of parliament for military appointees. The new constitution also stipulated that the ministries for defence, home, and border affairs needed to be headed by military appointees, thus enshrining prerogatives for the military and paving the way for a system of hybrid governance. 2011 marked the beginning of a process of political transformation, with Senior General Than Shwe stepping down as head of the armed forces and as head of state. His hand-picked successor in the latter office, Thein Sein, became the first democratically elected president of Myanmar. Thein Sein proved willing to work with Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the oppositional National League for Democracy (NLD) which successfully registered for national elections later in the year. In the parliamentary byelections of 2012, the NLD won forty-three of the available forty-five seats, with

International Reports 6/2012, Konrad Adenauer Foundation, 2012

in 2008, the previous military government held a referendum as part of a "roadmap to discipline-flourishing democracy", which is generally considered a farce. one of the things expected from thein Sein's government is that it will put an end to the links between top military commanders and local militias involved in drug trafficking.

SEARC Working Paper Series No. 135, 2012

Asian Survey, 2018

During its second year in office, Myanmar’s NLD government made little progress on its agenda to restore peace, reduce the role of the military in politics, and raise standards of living for the poor. Instead, the dominant issues were the security crisis in Rakhine State and the exodus of half the Rohingya population.

Myanmar concluded historic elections in November 2015. These saw Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) trounce the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). The country's controversial 2008 constitution, however, reserves considerable power for the military, including guaranteeing the military control of three key ministries and creating a de facto power sharing dynamic between the victorious NLD and the military. We argue that this power sharing dynamic, as well as the precarious position of NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi, will lead to significant political and governance challenges.

IAPS Dialogue

While Myanmar has seen incredible sociopolitical change since 2011, climaxing with the landslide victory of Aung San Suu Kyi and her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), in the 2015 general election, many recent developments have caused widespread concern among commentators. The number of political prisoners has surged, attacks on the freedom of the press have re-occurred and, most recently, the military has been accused of ethnic cleansing in Rakhine State, to name but a few. After almost 18 months in office, Myanmar under the NLD government seems to have seen significant authoritarian setbacks. But has Myanmar really become more authoritarian again under the NLD? This article tries to take stock of Myanmar’s democratic transition in 2017 and looks at tangible data.