| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Pyidaungsu Hluttaw / Assembly of the Union |
| Structure of parliament |
Bicameral |
| Chamber name (generic / translated) |
Amyotha Hluttaw / House of Nationalities |
| Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) |
Pyithu Hluttaw / House of Representatives
|
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
8 November 2015 |
| Purpose of elections |
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: 168 (full renewal)*
*56 seats are reserved for members who are Defence Services personnel, nominated by the Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Services.
Number of candidates: 886 (765 men, 121 women)
Percentage of women candidates: 13.7%
Number of parties contesting the election: 91
Number of parties winning seats: 9
Date of the first session of the new parliament: 1 February 2016
Name of the new Speaker: Mr. Mahn Winn Khaing Thann (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
23'946'709 (69.82%)
|
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of votes |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Candidates |
Votes |
|
|
% |
|
|
| National League for Democracy (NLD) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Arakan National Party (ANP) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Zomi Congress for Democracy (Zomi CD) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Independents |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Pa-O National Organisation (Pa O NO) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Ta'ang National Party (Ta'ang NP) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Mon National Party (Mon NP) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| National Unity Party (NUP) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
|
|
|
|
| National League for Democracy (NLD) |
135
|
|
|
|
|
| Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) |
12
|
|
|
|
|
| Arakan National Party (ANP) |
10
|
|
|
|
|
| Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) |
3
|
|
|
|
|
| Zomi Congress for Democracy (Zomi CD) |
2
|
|
|
|
|
| Independents |
2
|
|
|
|
|
| Pa-O National Organisation (Pa O NO) |
1
|
|
|
|
|
| Ta'ang National Party (Ta'ang NP) |
1
|
|
|
|
|
| Mon National Party (Mon NP) |
1
|
|
|
|
|
| National Unity Party (NUP) |
1
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
201
23
10.27%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
Sources:
Assembly of the Union (04.12.2015, 06.12.2015)
Union Election Commission
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 |
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
