Irrawaddy-Feb 24
Myanmar’s military regime announced on Monday that the new parliament will convene in mid March—a little more than a month after the military’s widely rejected election. Under the schedule, the Lower House will convene on March 16, the Upper House on March 18, and state and regional assemblies on March 20. Even before the dates were made public, the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which claimed a sweeping electoral victory in the absence of the National League for Democracy, had already instructed its winning candidates to arrive in Naypyitaw in early March. Between mid March and the end of the month, lawmakers are expected to elect speakers for both houses, form parliamentary committees and select a president—steps that will determine the structure of the junta’s next administration. With the USDP winning the largest share of seats, the new parliament will be firmly under the control of ex-generals. Official results from the December-January elections show the party securing 231 seats in the Lower House and 108 in the Upper House, for a total of 339 seats. In the Union Parliament, which includes 420 elected civilian MPs, the combined number of lawmakers from smaller parties—such as the National Unity Party, the Shan and Nationalities Democratic Party, the People’s Party and the People’s Pioneer Party—is far too small to challenge the USDP’s dominance. Aung Hlaing will assume the presidency with the backing of military-appointed MPs and the USDP bloc. The 2008 Constitution reserves 25 percent of seats in parliament for unelected appointees from the Myanmar military. Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/politics/myanmar-junta-sets-mid-march-date-for-new-parliament.htmlT
