National League for Democracy
Outraged over ongoing discrimination in Myanmar, Myo Min Tun decided to stand as the first openly gay election candidate in a country where same-sex relations are illegal.His decision to enter the political fray came after transgender friends told him how they had suffered police harassment.The officers allegedly forced them to remove their bras and kneel in humiliating positions before touching them inappropriately, Myo Min Tun told the media. "This was a violation of their rig
Booted from Aung San Suu Kyi's "chaotic and autocratic" party, one female MP is now taking on Myanmar's national heroine in the upcoming election, claiming the country needs to work with, not against, a military accused of genocide.Voters are expected to return Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party to power at the 8 November polls - only the second since the country emerged from decades of outright military rule - but Thet Thet Khine is still hoping to make h
One of Myanmar's five million young adults, May Thandar Maung had been excited to cast her ballot for the very first time in November's election.But the 18-year-old is Muslim and says that means she will remain voiceless."My religion means I haven't been able to get an ID card," she said in her hometown of Meiktila in central Myanmar – and no ID means no vote.She describes how local officials have obstructed her attempts for over a year, while Buddhist peers faced no
Aung San Suu Kyi's ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party took power following a landslide victory in 2015, after five decades of both, direct and indirect military rule. Suu Kyi, however, could not be named president due to Article 59(f) of the constitution, which bars a person from becoming president if his or her spouse or children are foreign citizens.
Myanmar's military on Tuesday quashed proposals in parliament that would mean its MPs relinquish power, in a vote pitting the armed forces in open opposition against Aung San Suu Kyi as elections loom. The vote was the climax of a year of fierce debates between MPs as the civilian government attempted to reform the constitution and reduce the military's stranglehold on parliament.The country is gearing up to polls likely to be held later this year, only the second since out
Myanmar's military Saturday said they would thwart any attempts by leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party to alter the "essence" of the country's controversial constitution, putting the army and civilian administration on a collision course over the politically-charged issue.Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) dominated the 2015 elections ending decades of military-backed rule.But because of a 2008 charter scripted by the military, the NLD was forced into an u
When the military-backed government of Myanmar began a series of political reforms in 2011, the country’s political landscape changed for good. The political reforms carried out by Myanmar’s then government included the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, the establishment of the National Human Rights Commission, general amnesties for more than 200 political prisoners and many others.
Ever since the military-backed government of Myanmar embarked on a series of political reforms back in 2011, the country’s political landscape has never been the same. The political reforms carried out by Myanmar’s then government included the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, the establishment of the National Human Rights Commission, general amnesties for more than 200 political prisoners and many others.
30 years ago, nationwide pro-democracy demonstrations in Myanmar saw hundreds of thousands of protesters take to the streets of then capital, Rangoon. Led mostly by student leaders, it was the largest mass protest in the country since its independence in 1948.The 8888 Uprising, named after the date of the protest, 8 August 1988, remains a watershed moment in Myanmar’s history.
