Next Myanmar general election

Myanmar, previously known as Burma, has been under a dictatorship for the majority of its independent history. First, under Ne Win and his Burma Socialist Programme Party, and then under a military junta. In the early 2010s, Myanmar transitioned into a state of semi-democracy, finally culminating in the 2015 elections, where democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi became State Counsellor, and her party the National League for Democracy won a landslide victory.[12]

A ballot paper of 2020

Previously, Myanmar has exclusively used the first-past-the-post system, in which a candidate needs only a plurality of votes in a constituency to be elected. But, for the next election, Khin Maung Oo, a member of the Union Election Commission, said at a press conference in Naypyidaw on 16 June 2022 that the country will use a proportional representation system instead.[27]

The Pyithu Hluttaw, or House of Representatives, is elected every five years. It is the lower house. It has 440 MPs, 330 of which are elected in single-member constituencies, one for each township. A further 110 members (one quarter) are appointed by the Tatmadaw.

The Amyotha Hluttaw, or House of Nationalities, is elected every five years. It is the upper house. It has 224 MPs, 168 of which are elected in single-member constituencies, 12 in each state or region. A further 56 members (one quarter) are appointed by the Tatmadaw.

In Myanmar, it is not uncommon for elections to be cancelled partially or completely in some constituencies due to insurrection.

After the new legislators take office, the President and the two Vice Presidents of Myanmar are elected by the Presidential Electoral College, made up of MPs from three committees: one of elected members from each house of the Assembly of the Union, and one from the military-appointed members. Each committee recommends one candidate, and the Assembly then holds a vote. The position the candidates are elected to depends on their overall vote total (the highest vote-getter becomes President, while the second-highest becomes First Vice President, and the remaining candidate becomes Second Vice President).

People married to a non-Burmese citizen and/or who have children without Burmese citizenship are barred from being elected to any presidential position. This requirement has been criticized by some as being an attempt to disqualify Suu Kyi. Her late husband was a British citizen, so she was ineligible to be President. Instead, she became State Counsellor, and President Win Myint was seen as her puppet.

In December 2021, the Union Electoral Commission held a series of talks with over 60 political parties on the electoral system. They determined that it would be advisable to switch to a system of party-list proportional representation. The largest remainder method will be used, and the lists will be closed, although there may be a switch to open lists "when the level of education of the electorate and the political tide rises". The townships will be merged into districts for constituencies. [28][29]

The change in electoral system was criticized by many anti-junta factions being politically motivated.[30][31] The argument is that the NLD received an over-representative share of the seats in the 2015 election, and therefore they could receive less seats under proportional representation. Statistics for the popular vote do not appear to be available for the 2020 elections.

Although the past three elections in Myanmar have been semi-free,[32] there have been concerns over such things as irregularities in voter lists, misinformation, fake news, and the vilification of Burmese Muslims. In addition, the military is effectively guaranteed one vice presidency, and a quarter of the seats in both chambers of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, as well as a third of the seats in all state and regional Hluttaws, and some ministries.

Some members of the NLD dominated Pyidaungsu Hluttaw elected in 2020 have formed an anti-cabinet known as the National Unity Government of Myanmar. The NUG claims to be the legitimate government of Myanmar, and the junta and the NUG consider each other terrorist groups.[33] The NUG is backed by the People's Defence Force,[34][35] a paramilitary group that has engaged in an internal conflict with the Tatmadaw since the coup, that has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Tatmadaw soldiers in what effectively amounts to a civil war.[36] This, along with ongoing ethnic conflicts, means the vote will likely be cancelled in some constituencies, and may not be secure in others.

In addition, some have expressed concerns about the Tatmadaw's willingness to hold free and fair elections.

The table below lists the parties that managed to elect representatives to the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw in 2020, except the National League for Democracy, which won a majority in 2020 and is boycotting the next election.[37][10] Most parties in Myanmar represent one of the country's many ethnic minorities.