Myanmar’s Road to Democracy
Burmese citizens were exuberant at the country’s historic democratic elections on November 8, 2015. For five decades, Myanmar was led by a feared military regime, which suppressed all opposition parties. The regime ignored the results of the 1990 elections, with overwhelming votes in favor of the opposition National League of Democracy (NLD), and placed its leader Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest for 15 years.
Elections were held again in 2010, but without the NLD’s inclusion. Many have also expressed concerns over the fairness and legitimacy of the elections when the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), the successor of the military regime, took over. The 2015 election, in which the NLD ran against the USPD, was viewed by many as a hallmark for change in the country’s long and difficult history.
After officially “transitioning into democracy” in 2010-2011, progress lagged as Myanmar faced turmoil fueled by ethnic tension, Buddhist extremists, and unstable politics. Suu Kyi, the symbol of democracy, soon after being released from house arrest, entered a more controversial spotlight for her “silence” on the Rohingya-Buddhist conflict spurs. A chain of issues emerged, including human rights abuse, race protection laws, and Rohingya census exclusion. She was criticized by both Buddhist extremists and the international community for her silence. Suu Kyi faces a situation where she has to appease a predominantly Buddhist populace, but also feels an obligation to speak up against the human rights violations of the Muslim Rohingya.
The ongoing ethnic conflict has added another layer to an election which many already see as corrupt and unfair. Suu Kyi herself is barred from running for the presidency. According to Article 59 of the current constitution, anyone with a foreign spouse or children is restricted from running for presidency or vice presidency. Moreover, 25 percent of the seats in the parliament are reserved for the military personnel. Amending the constitution would require votes from 75 percent of parliament, nearly giving the military veto power over any constitutional amendments.
Overseas voters also expressed concerns over the election’s fairness and transparency. The lack of a proper voting procedure was a central complaint. In Singapore, 20,000 Myanmar nationals requested to vote in advance, with thousands camping overnight on sidewalks. Many were enraged when officials announced that only the first 3,000 in line would be allowed to cast ballots. In the United States, Burmese citizens were asked to apply to vote, with no proper announcement on application procedures. Many applications were also denied or lost, with names being omitted from the list on the actual voting day.
Despite these issues abroad, voting within Myanmar was greeted with an enthusiastic uproar, resulting in an 80 percent turnout. A few stories of ballot cheating have emerged on social media and local news, though none are yet on a significant level. While final results have not been released as of press time, Suu Kyi has announced that she believes the NLD has captured a majority of seats in the parliament.
However, internal tensions and controversies exist within the NLD itself in addition to political and economic instabilities. As such, even if the NLD wins the election, it faces a tough path in creating a better future for Myanmar.