Democracy News

Landslide Victory for Burma Opposition in By-Election
April 3, 2012
By: Rebecca Aaberg | Printer Friendly

Burmese opposition party National League for Democracy (NLD) won 43 of the 45 contested seats in the April 1 by-election, the Washington Post reported.  Nobel Peace Prize laureate and NLD party leader Aung San Suu Kyi claimed a seat in the lower house.  Ko Ko Hlaign, an advisor to Burmese President Thein Sein, was not surprised with the results: “I could guess the NLD would take the lion’s share in these elections, but I didn’t expect this much of a landslide for them.  The people are quite excited about this electoral process, and they would like to show their mind and hope for change.”  Hlaign also commented on the process of political reform during Burma’s transition from military rule to democracy, and said that the April 1 election “is the preliminary test for democratic transition, and the general elections in 2015 will be the final exam.”
 
The international community has hailed the win by NLD as proof that political reforms in Burma promised by Sein are moving forward.  Although no official election observers were present, visitors from the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) oversaw the processes used on election day.  Cambodia, in its role as current chair of the association, asked that the international community “consider lifting economic sanctions” in order to facilitate “peace, national reconciliation, democracy and national development.”  The United States (US) and the European Union (EU) had previously hinted at the possibility of removing economic sanctions as a result of the free and fair elections in Burma but have not begun the process of removing those sanctions.  On April 4, the US lifted the travel ban restricting Burmese leaders from visiting the US, though economic sanctions remain in place.  In January the US announced that it would exchange ambassadors with Burma for the first time in twenty years.  US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the New York Times that the US will announce the selection of the ambassador to Burma in the next few days.   A senior US official told the Washington Post that the US is waiting to see “how the election plays out…when the new additions to parliament, including Suu Kyi, are seated.”  Jay Carney, Press Secretary for US President Barack Obama added: “We hope it is an indication that the government of Burma intends to continue along the path of greater openness, transparency and reform.” 

Asia Society Burma Specialist Suzanne DiMaggio warned that the potential still exists for a government response like the repression on the opposition after the 1990 election: “We have every reason to be cautious.  The last time NLD swept into office and won an election by a landslide they then were not allowed to take up their seats and we saw a crackdown.”  However, DiMaggio does not expect a crackdown. 

Although the NLD won the by-election in a landslide victory, it remains to be seen how this will affect the country.  Burma’s parliament holds a total of 664 seats, five percent of which are occupied by government-appointed military representatives.  Suu Kyi criticized political involvement of the military during her campaign, but General Min Aung Hlaing has upheld the military’s role in politics: “Protecting the constitution is one of the main responsibilities of the army as we build our country into becoming a modern, prosperous and developed democracy.”

While the opposition’s election into the open legislative seats has been hailed as a sign of democratic progress by the international community, conflict continues among insurgent groups in Karen state and with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).  Ethnic groups have been fighting the government for autonomy for the several decades.  Reuters reported that, during her campaign, Suu Kyi promised to end the insurgencies, though she did not specify the means by which the hopes to do so.  In December, Stein ordered the army to stop attacks against the Kachin, but, according to KIA General Sumlat Gun Maw: “Under the new constitution the president doesn’t have that much power over the army, and, secondly, President Thein Sein doesn’t have the support of the army generals because he wants to reform the country and they don’t.”  The United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees indicated that more than 50,000 Kachin have been displaced by the conflict, and Human Rights Watch claims that the Burmese army has committed “serious abuses” against the Kachin, including “pillaging and burning homes, torturing civilians during interrogations and raping women in villages.”  Voting for the April 1 by-election was postponed in three Kachin constituencies due to what Sein called a “lack of security.” 

For previous news on Burma, please see:
Suu Kyi Announces Candidacy in Burma; Government Releases Dissidents 

Sources:
BBC - Asean Calls for Burma Sanctions to be Lifted

BBC – Burma Elections: Suu Kyi Voters on their Future Hopes

BBC – Burma’s Top General Defends Army’s Role in Politics

BBC - Kachin Plight Reveals Burma’s Patchy Progress

New York Times – US Moves Toward Normalizing Relations with Myanmar

Reuters - US Hails Myanmar Election as Step for Democratic Change

Washington Post – Burmese Government Says It Was Surprised by Scale of Suu Kyi Victory