Detalles

Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy achieved a landslide victory in Myanmar in the general elections of 8 November 2015. The party´s candidates won 255 of the 330 contested seats in the 440-member Lower House and 135 of the 168 contested seats in the 224-member Upper House of parliament. It was the country's first national election since a civilian government, consisting of former military officials, was introduced in 2011, ending nearly 50 years of military rule. The NLD will be able to control the next parliament and to choose the next president. However the military-drafted constitution guarantees that unelected military representatives take up 25% of the seats in both houses of parliament and therefore have a veto over constitutional change. Additionally, the Commander-in-Chief appoints the Ministers of Defence, Home Affairs and Border Affairs, selecting candidates from within the military.

The victory of the opposition has been assessed as a very positive indicator for the democratic transition. Nevertheless the new government will face enormous economic and social challenges and many important questions are raised: Who will lead the NLD government, given that Aung San Suu Kyi can´t be elected due to the constitution? Which role will Aung San Suu Kyi play after the inauguration of the new government? Will the new government include members of the ethnic parties and the military? How will the peace process be dealt with? How can the enormous lack of trust between the different actors be addressed? Other issues to be raised include the role of the radical Buddhist movement and the status of the Rohingya minority as well as the continuing ethnic conflicts. These and other questions will be addressed in a panel discussion at Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.

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Program

5:30 pm

Welcome remarks

Frank Priess

Deputy Head of Department European and International Cooperation

Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung

5:50 pm

Panel discussion

Chaired by:

Dr. Norbert Eschborn

Designated representative of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung to Myanmar

Panelists:

• Sai Ye Kyaw Swar Myint

  Executive Director

  People´s Alliance for Credible Elections (PACE)

• Naing Ko Ko

  Ph. D Scholar

  Regulatory Institutions Network

  College of Asia and the Pacific

  Australian National University

• Jasmin Lorch

  Associate

  GIGA Institute of Asian Studies

• Prof. Dr. Jörn Dosch

  Chair of International Politics and Development Cooperation

  Rostock University

Open discussion

7:30 pm

Reception