| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Pyidaungsu Hluttaw / Assembly of the Union |
| Structure of parliament |
Bicameral |
| Chamber name (generic / translated) |
Pyithu Hluttaw / House of Representatives |
| Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) |
Amyotha Hluttaw / House of Nationalities
|
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
8 November 2015 |
| Timing and scope of renewal |
The National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, took an outright majority in both chambers of the parliament. The NLD took 255 of the 330 seats at stake in the 440-member House of Representatives and 135 of the 168 seats at stake in the 224-member House of Nationalities (a quarter of seats in both chambers are reserved for military personnel).
The ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) dropped from 259 to 30 seats in the House of Representatives and from 129 to 12 in the House of Nationalities. Only two other parties won more than ten seats: the Arakan National Party (ANP, representing the interests of the Rakhine people) and the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD, representing the Shan minority). The USDP conceded defeat.
On 1 February 2016, the newly elected parliament was sworn in. On 15 March, it elected Mr. Htin Kyaw (NLD) as the country's new President.
During the election campaign, NLD promised constitutional and political reform to promote the rule of law and human rights, while the USDP ran on the government's record, stating that it had achieved a democratic path that gained international acceptance.
Following the elections, on 19 November, Ms. Suu Kyi and Mr. Shwe Mann held talks and agreed on "systematic and peaceful implementation of the people's desire" to prioritize "national reconciliation and national (ethnic) unity in forming the houses of parliament". On 2 December, Ms. Suu Kyi met President Thein Sein and Army Chief Min Aung Hlaing, who pledged to assist the smooth transfer of power.
These were the first general elections in which the NLD had taken part since 1990. In 1990, the NLD won 392 seats in the 492-member People's Assembly, but the newly-elected legislature was never convened and the election was eventually invalidated. The NLD boycotted the previous elections in 2010, condemning the electoral laws as "unjust". In April 2012, the NLD won all 37 seats at stake in by-elections to the House of Representatives and six in the House of Nationalities. As a result, Ms. Suu Kyi was sworn in to parliament the following month. |
Date of previous elections: 7 November 2010
Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature: 31 January 2016
Timing of election: Upon normal expiry
Expected date of next elections: November 2020
Number of seats at stake: 330 (full renewal)*
*Seven seats were not contested in the election due to ongoing challenges with ethnic unrest.
In addition, 110 seats are reserved for members who are Defence Services personnel, nominated by the Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Services.
Number of candidates: 1,733 (1,502 men, 231 women)
Percentage of women candidates: 13.3%
Number of parties contesting the election: 91
Number of parties winning seats: 11
Date of the first session of the new parliament: 1 February 2016
Name of the new Speaker: Mr. Win Myint (National League for Democracy, NLD) |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 8 November 2015 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
34'295'334
23'911'784 (69.72%)
|
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of votes |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political group |
Candidates |
Votes |
|
|
% of votes |
|
|
| National League for Democracy (NLD) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Arakan National Party (ANP) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Pa-O National Organisation (Pa O NO) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Ta'ang National Party (Ta'ang NP) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Lisu National Development Party (Lisu NDP) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Zomi Congress for Democracy (Zomi CD) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Kokang Democracy and Unity Party (Kokang DUP) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Independents |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Kachin State Democracy Party (Kachin SDP) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Wa Democratic Party (Wa DP) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total of seats
|
|
|
|
|
| National League for Democracy (NLD) |
255
|
|
|
|
|
| Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) |
30
|
|
|
|
|
| Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) |
12
|
|
|
|
|
| Arakan National Party (ANP) |
12
|
|
|
|
|
| Pa-O National Organisation (Pa O NO) |
3
|
|
|
|
|
| Ta'ang National Party (Ta'ang NP) |
3
|
|
|
|
|
| Lisu National Development Party (Lisu NDP) |
2
|
|
|
|
|
| Zomi Congress for Democracy (Zomi CD) |
2
|
|
|
|
|
| Kokang Democracy and Unity Party (Kokang DUP) |
1
|
|
|
|
|
| Independents |
1
|
|
|
|
|
| Kachin State Democracy Party (Kachin SDP) |
1
|
|
|
|
|
| Wa Democratic Party (Wa DP) |
1
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
390
43
9.71%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
|
| Comments |
Sources:
Assembly of the Union (04.12.2015, 06.12.2015, 01.01.2017)
Union Election Commission (09.02.2016)
http://www.idea.int/asia_pacific/myanmar/facts-about-women-ethnic-candidates-in-myanmar-elections.cfm
http://www.bbc.com
http://www.mmtimes.com
Kyodo News Service |
