Government
Elections
Ethnic MPs get ready to take on the majority
Even though Myanmar’s NLD controls both houses of parliament, ethnic minority MPs are ready to take on the majority to improve ethnic rights. The representative of the Zomi Congress for Democracy, which won two upper house and two lower house seats, said that even with a small ...
Committee to announce March election candidates
Laos’ National Election Committee will soon announce the list of candidates standing to be potential members of the National Assembly (NA) and Provincial Assemblies (PAs) on 20 March. Committee Member and President of the NA’s Law Committee Prof. Dr Davone Vangvichit told Vientiane Times on 3 February that ...
Cases to be opened over election campaign expenses
Legal cases will be opened against 175 candidates in the November 2015 general election for failing to submit their campaign expenses on time, according to the Union Election Commission. “The election tribunal will start hearing those cases on 21 January in Nay Pyi Taw,” said U ...
Lack of ethnic party MPs ‘serious weakness’ in parliament
During the 8 November election, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) won by a landslide, crushing the army-linked Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and surprising many by also winning big in ethnic minority-dominated areas where ethnic political parties had expected ...
Hun Sen nixes ban on dual-national party leaders
In his latest abrupt policy backtracking, Prime Minister Hun Sen used a speech on 7 January to rescind a recently announced plan to ban dual nationals from leading political parties—an effort that had ostensibly been aimed at the self-exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy. On 28 December, Mr. ...
Hun Sen nixes ban on dual-national party leaders
In his latest abrupt policy backtracking, Prime Minister Hun Sen used a speech on 7 January to rescind a recently announced plan to ban dual nationals from leading political parties—an effort that had ostensibly been aimed at the self-exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy. On 28 December, Mr. ...
Villagers in land dispute say IDs were denied
More than 100 family representatives on 21 December filed complaints at Ratanakkiri Provincial Hall and the Interior Ministry, claiming that requests to be issued with identity cards so they could vote in upcoming elections were denied by local police officials. The villagers who signed the letter, representing ...
Transition teams kick off months-long dialogue
Transition committees set up to ensure a smooth handover of power are to meet four times a week until March, a senior National League for Democracy member said on 16 December. The government and NLD both formed eight-member teams on December 10 to coordinate the transition ...
Suu Kyi, Than Shwe discuss Myanmar's future
Myanmar election winner Aung San Suu Kyi and long-time former military junta leader Than Shwe met for more than two hours and discussed the country’s future, sources said on 6 December. The 4 December meeting at military headquarters in the political capital Nay Pyi Taw was facilitated ...
President and NLD leader discuss transfer of power
President U Thein Sein and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi met for 45 minutes this morning to discuss the transfer of power following the landslide election victory of her National League for Democracy. U Ye Htut, a spokesperson for the president, said the meeting focused on ...
