Myanmar Opposition Gains Advantage during Election

Myanmar’s recent held the freest in the nation’s history, and oppositional party, the National League for Democracy, expects to gain the majority, according to CBS. However, only a certain portion of the population is eligible to vote, and Myanmar’s sizeable Muslim minority, the Rohingya, have largely been ostracized from the process. They will announce results on Monday.

Myanmar’s recent held the freest in the nation’s history, and oppositional party, the National League for Democracy, expects to gain the majority, according to CBS. However, only a certain portion of the population is eligible to vote, and Myanmar’s sizeable Muslim minority, the Rohingya, have largely been ostracized from the process. They will announce results on Monday.

Would the election unshackle the nation from its brutal past and open the economy to foreign investment and trade? The answer is no in the short-term, but Myanmar is slowly but surely shifting to a more transparent economy. With that, an NLD victory would move the country further along.

The NLD is led by Aung San Suu Kyi.  She suffered political persecution at the hands of military elites for her support of democracy and resistance. Aung San Suu Kyi was subject to house arrest and barred from presidential office due to a constitutional provision that disqualifies citizens with foreign family members.

Under the NLD, members would increase taxes to benefit the poor, create jobs and rid the government of corruption. Roughly, 37 percent of people in Myanmar remain in poverty, with some of the lowest life expectancy outcomes in Southeast Asia, notes AFP. Myanmar was once a crown jewel of Asia before the military took over, and the country is rich in natural resources that include oil, fertile ground and gems.

The military junta first seized power in 1962, but the government did not conduct elections until 1990, when the NLD won a parliamentary majority. The government stalled the transition by citing constitutional issues, until authorities held elections again in 2010.

The Union Solidarity Development Party, backed by the military and fanatical Buddhist monks, won in 2011 after a contested process, and President Thein Sein, a former general, has ruled since. Government officials stated they will respect the results of the election, but they do not seem too worried, as it is guaranteed in the constitution that the military holds a certain number of seats in parliament, and the USDP’s ties to the military will ensure the establishment’s hold on power. On the other hand, Sein got into office with the intention of opening the economy to the world to improve his country, but more work lies ahead.

For one thing, the military still has a stranglehold over most of the economy, allowing certain business elites to manage various sectors, such as service and mining, and the government actively protects firms from outside competition.

The monopoly system set up by the junta remains in place, but companies face competition due to civilian rule and the world economy. The 2011 election saw the rise of foreign investment and consumerism, and the economy underwent a healthy surplus in recent years. While the monopolies and authoritarianism will not go away anytime soon, globalism and internal resistance will continue to erode the country’s long-running despotism.