Myanmar Archives - Page 2 of 5

Unraveling Decades of Military Rule in Myanmar

All the speculation about who will hold Myanmar’s top jobs should end this month. With newly elected legislators taking their Naypyidaw seats, the specifics of further compromises between the National League for Democracy (NLD) and the military will become clearer.

Before long, the speakers will pick up their gavels for the first time, the president, vice presidents will take up their palatial residences, and a clutch of new ministers will try to come to grips with their responsibilities. Naypyidaw will hum with the fresh energy of a government with much to do.

Time for Myanmar’s NLD to Step Up to the Economic Plate

Aung San Suu Kyi and her government will take office in early April 2016. However, the Myanmar people’s expectations of what Suu Kyi’s government can accomplish in its five-year term are unrealistically high.

The National League for Democracy’s (NLD) economic goals pre-election was sketchy. Economists close to the NLD have said the agriculture sector will be a major priority. Sound macroeconomic policies, especially ‘fiscal discipline’, will be another. This means avoiding unsustainable budget deficits and inflation.

Insurance Companies Become More Receptive to Myanmar

Burmese leaders plan to foster a more open economy as insurance companies help the enclosed Southeast Asian country open up to foreign companies, according to the Chicago Tribune. Various Japanese insurance companies and the Financial Services Agency are lending a helping hand to the government, and officials have established a regulatory body that will manage the insurance industry. Currently, Myanmar has an insurance market worth $40 million.

The Not So Free Hand of Myanmar’s New Government

The overwhelming victory of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Myanmar’s November 2015 parliamentary elections has fundamentally altered the political landscape. The NLD captured large seat majorities in both houses of the National Parliament and in all but two of the state and regional assemblies.

Myanmar’s ‘Sister Suu’ Faces Long Odds, but a Great Opportunity

The landslide victory by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party in the 8 November 2015 Myanmar election, after decades of Suu Kyi held under house arrest, marks one of the world’s most extraordinary political turnabouts.

Ruling from Above in Myanmar

In a press conference on 5 November 2015, Myanmar’s democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi candidly stated that if her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) won the election on 8 November and was able to form the next government, she would be ‘above the president’. In addition, the NLD has won the election. The 2008 Myanmar Constitution bars Aung San Suu Kyi from being president since she has two sons who are British nationals. However, the next president will be a candidate nominated by her party.

Have Myanmar Voters’ Priorities Changed?

The last of the 2015 Myanmar election results have yet to be confirmed by the Union Election Commission. However, it is clear that the National League for Democracy (NLD) has won an overwhelming victory.

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.

Assuming Myanmar’s Election Goes Well, What’s Next?

As Myanmar heads towards its important 2015 elections, attention is focusing on the unfinished business of Myanmar’s political transition. This legacy of unfinished business will await Myanmar’s next government, whichever party wins the 8 November elections.

Myanmar’s Election Could End Up Just ‘Regime Maintenance’

Despite numerous concerns surrounding Myanmar’s upcoming election, the most important factor determining its success will be whether the electoral system becomes an arena of genuine competition for political power or remains subject to manipulation for the purposes of regime maintenance. There are five main actors: the military (or Tatmadaw); the Union of Solidarity and Development Party (USDP); the National League for Democracy (NLD); a number of well-organised ethnic parties; and the Buddhist nationalist organisation, Ma Ba Tha.