Yearbook 2010
Burma. Throughout the year, all attention was directed to
the general elections promised by the military junta after
pushing through a new constitution in 2008, which would make
the country appear democratic. In March, a new electoral law
was passed, according to which the military junta would
hand-pick members of an electoral commission. The law also
stipulated that punished persons may not be members of
political parties. The wording was considered directly aimed
at opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent most of
the last 20 years under house arrest. Election Law also
prohibited members of religious orders from running for
candidacy. This was intended to prevent Buddhist monks, the
leaders of recent years' protests against the junta, from
entering politics.
According to
COUNTRYAAH,
Myanmar has a population of 53.71 million (2018). About 20 ministers headed by Prime Minister Thein Sein
left the military in April and formed the Union Solidarity
and Development Party (USDP), which was the old
junta-controlled "mass movement" USDA in new form. Aung San
Suu Kyi's party National Democratic Alliance (NLD), which
had decided to boycott the election, dissolved on orders by
the junta in May because it had not registered. A number of
members then left the party and decided to stand for
election under the name National Democratic Force (NDF).
Since the new constitution already guaranteed the
military 25 percent of parliamentary seats and "former"
military formed a party with superior resources, the
election results were in practice clearly in advance. Any
opposition MPs would not have the opportunity to push
through amendments to the constitution of the junta, since
such changes require more than 75 percent majority. Most
countries condemned the election; it was largely only the
important trading partner China that urged the outside world
to support the process in Burma.
Before the election, the junta announced that no foreign
observers or reporters would be admitted. The days
surrounding the election broke Internet traffic in Burma,
which was first interpreted as a cyber attack similar to
those that had previously hit Estonia and Georgia. However,
judges rather believed that it was the junta itself that
blocked the web to prevent Burmese bloggers and
photographers from informing the outside world.
Shortly before the election, it was also announced that
the country's official name was changed from Union Myanmar
to Republic of Myanmar. Burma also received a new national
anthem and a new flag: a large white star against a
background of three horizontal fields in yellow, green and
red.
Shortly after the election, Aung San Suu Kyi was released
from house arrest, according to information without special
conditions. She was able to hold public speeches immediately
and start consulting on the future with her party mates. She
struck a conciliatory tone and declared herself ready for a
dialogue with the government. Her youngest son Kim Aris also
got an entry permit and was able to meet his mother for the
first time in ten years.
During the election day, the opposition complained of
gross cheating and pressure on voters. When the election
results were announced, USDP was presented as superior
victor in both parliament's chambers with over 75 percent of
the vote. The junta-friendly National Unity Party (NUP),
formed before the 1990 elections, and a party representing
the Shan people became roughly equal. The NDF received eight
seats in the lower house, the People's Assembly.
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