Next Myanmar general election

Next Myanmar general election

← 2020 (annulled) By August 2023[1]
315 of the 440 seats in the Pyithu Hluttaw 221 seats needed for a majority 161 of the 224 seats in the Amyotha Hluttaw 113 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party   Leader Aung San Suu Kyi (imprisoned) Than Htay Party NLD USDP Leader since 27 September 1988 23 August 2016 Last election 258 R / 138 N 26 R / 7 N Seats before 0 R / 0 N 0 R / 0 N
President before election Myint Swe (acting) USDP Elected President TBD

Politics of Myanmar
Constitution 2008 Constitution Constitutional Tribunal Chairman:
Government State Administration Council President (list) Myint Swe (acting) Prime Minister (list) Min Aung Hlaing Deputy Prime Minister () Soe Win Cabinet Management Committee of the State Administration Council
Assembly of the Union House of Nationalities Speaker House of Representatives Speaker Opposition Political parties USDP NLD SNDP NUP NDF RNDP
Supreme Court Chief Justice: Htun Htun Oo
Recent elections General: 2015 2020 next
Administrative divisions States · Regions · Union Territories Self-Administered Zones and Divisions Districts Townships
Foreign relations Ministry of Foreign Affairs Minister: Wunna Maung Lwin Ministry of International Cooperation Minister: Ko Ko Hlaing Diplomatic missions of / in Myanmar Passport Visa requirements Visa policy
Exiled government Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw National Unity Government President: Duwa Lashi La (acting) Prime Minister: Mahn Win Khaing Than Vice President: Duwa Lashi La
Related topics Human rights National Human Rights Commission Naming issues
Myanmar portal Other countries
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This article contains Burmese script. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Burmese script.

General elections are expected to be held in Myanmar, possibly sometime in 2023.^[2] Voters will elect representatives to both the Amyotha Hluttaw and the Pyithu Hluttaw of the Assembly of the Union. The elections will be the first after the 2021 coup d'état.^[3]

Background[]

Myanmar, previously known as Burma, has been under a dictatorship for the majority of its independent history. First, under Ne Win and his Burma Socialist Programme Party, and then under a military junta. In the yearly 2010s, Myanmar transitioned into a state of semi-democracy, finally culminating in the 2015 elections, where democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi became State Counsellor, and her party the National League for Democracy won a landslide victory.^[4]

Coup[]

In the 2020 general elections the NLD won another landslide over the Tatmadaw (military) backed Union Solidarity and Development Party. The military claimed the vote was fraudulent, and on 1 February 2021, launched a coup. Suu Kyi was detained, along with President Win Myint. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing took power, organizing a junta called the State Administration Council. Myint Swe was declared interim President, and a state of emergency was declared for one year. Aung San Suu Kyi received a number of frivolous charges, including breaching emergency COVID-19 laws and for illegally importing and using radio and communication devices, specifically six ICOM devices from her security team and a walkie-talkie, which are restricted in Myanmar and need clearance from military-related agencies before acquisition.^[5] She and Myint were both remanded in custody for two weeks.^[6][7][8] Aung San Suu Kyi received an additional criminal charge for violating the National Disaster Act on 16 February,^[9] two additional charges for violating communications laws and an intent to incite public unrest on 1 March and another for violating the official secrets act on 1 April.^[10][11] On 6 December 2021, she was sentenced to four years in prison, but Hlaing commuted her sentence to two years. Her conviction complicates her ability to hold public office.^[12]

On 1 August 2021, Hlaing formed a caretaker government, and declared himself Prime Minister. He still holds the office of Chairman of the SAC.^[13]

The Tatmadaw originally promised to hold the elections when the state of emergency expires on 1 February 2022, but they were later pushed back to 2023.

The junta has never released evidence to back up their claims of voter fraud.

Attempted dissolution of the NLD[]

On 21 May 2021, the junta's Union Election Committee announced plans to permanently dissolve the National League for Democracy.^[14] NLD offices were occupied and raided by police authorities, starting on 2 February.^[15] Documents, computers and laptops were forcibly seized, and the NLD called these raids unlawful.^[15] On 9 February, police raided the NLD headquarters in Yangon.^[16] Aung San Suu Kyi has commented on the possibility of her party's forced dissolution saying, "Our party grew out of the people so it will exist as long as people support it."^[17]

Electoral system[]

A ballot paper of 2020

Previously, Myanmar has exclusively used the first-past-the-post system, in which a candidate needs only a plurality of votes in a constituency to be elected.

The Pyithu Hluttaw, or House of Representatives, is elected every five years. It is the lower house. It has 440 MPs, 330 of which are elected in single-member constituencies, one for each township. A further 110 members (one quarter) are appointed by the Tatmadaw.

The Amyotha Hluttaw, or House of Nationalities, is elected every five years. It is the upper house. It has 224 MPs, 168 of which are elected in single-member constituencies, 12 in each state or region. A further 56 members (one quarter) are appointed by the Tatmadaw.

In Myanmar, it is not uncommon for elections to be cancelled partially or completely in some constituencies due to insurrection.

After the new legislators take office, the President and the two Vice Presidents of Myanmar are elected by the Presidential Electoral College, made up of MPs from three committees: one of elected members from each house of the Assembly of the Union, and one from the military-appointed members. Each committee recommends one candidate, and the Assembly then holds a vote. The position the candidates are elected to depends on their overall vote total (the highest vote-getter becomes President, while the second-highest becomes First Vice President, and the remaining candidate becomes Second Vice President).

People married to a non-Burmese citizen and/or who have children without Burmese citizenship are barred from being elected to any presidential position. This requirement has been criticized by some as being an attempt to disqualify Suu Kyi. Her late husband was a British citizen, so she was ineligible to be President. Instead, she became State Counsellor, and President Win Myint was seen as her puppet.

In December 2021, the Union Electoral Commission held a series of talks with over 60 political parties on the electoral system. They determined that it would be advisable to switch to a system of Party-list proportional representation. The Largest remainder method will be used, and the lists will be closed, although there may be a switch to open lists "when the level of education of the electorate and the political tide rises". The townships will be merged into districts for constituencies. ^[18][19]

The change in electoral system was criticized by many anti-junta factions being politically motivated.^[20][21] The argument is that the NLD received an over-representative share of the seats in the 2015 election, and therefore they could receive less seats under proportional representation. Statistics for the popular vote do not appear to be available for the 2020 elections.

Conduct[]

Although the past three elections in Myanmar have been semi-free,^[22] there have been concerns over such things as irregularities in voter lists, misinformation, fake news, and the vilification of Burmese Muslims. In addition, the military is effectively guaranteed one vice presidency, and a quarter of the seats in both chambers of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, as well as a third of the seats in all state and regional Hluttaws, and some ministries.

Some members of the NLD dominated Pyidaungsu Hluttaw elected in 2020 have formed an anti-cabinet known as the National Unity Government of Myanmar. The NUG claims to be the legitimate government of Myanmar, and the junta and the NUG consider each other terrorist groups.^[23] The NUG is backed by the People's Defence Force,^[24][25] a paramilitary group that has engaged in an internal conflict with the Tatmadaw since the coup, that has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Tatmadaw soldiers in what effectively amounts to a civil war.^[26] This, along with ongoing ethnic conflicts, means the vote will likely be cancelled in some constituencies, and may not be secure in others.

In addition, some have expressed concerns about the Tatmadaw's willingness to hold free and fair elections.

Political parties[]

The table below lists the parties that managed to elect representatives to the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw in 2020.^[27] Most parties in Myanmar represent one of the country's many ethnic minorities.

References[]