Myanmar ruling party wins majority in general elections

The ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) has won a majority in the general elections of Myanmar which took place on November 8. The Union Election Commission (UEC) of Myanmar made the formal announcement through its official list of winning candidates yesterday.

 

The NLD secured 396 Union Parliamentary seats, improving upon its 2015 tally of 390 seats. The NLD won 258 seats in the Lower house Pyithu Hluttaw and 138 seats in the upper house Amyotha Hluttaw. It required 322 seats for the majority.

 

However, the performance of NLD was less spectacular in the ethnic state elections due to the coming together of ethnic parties.

 

For Region/State Hluttaw, NLD won 524 seats including 23 seats for national race representatives. This is the second consecutive win for Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s party NLD since 2015.

 

The



main opposition party Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) could manage to win a total of 33 seats comprising 26 in the lower house and 7 in the upper house of parliament. In the 2015 elections, it had won 41 seats. UEC had cancelled elections to 22 parliamentary seats in ethnic areas due to security concerns.

 

According to the constitution, 25 percent seats in Myanmar parliament are reserved for candidates nominated by the army. The first session of the newly elected parliament will be held within 90 days of the declaration of result during which the members of both houses of parliament along with military nominated members will elect the President of the country.

The NLD has appealed to the 48 ethnic parties to come with it to form a unity government that will move forward to establish a federal democratic union.