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On 1 February 2021, the Myanmar military staged a coup and unconstitutionally declared a one-year state of emergency transferring all state powers to the Commander-in-Chief. Against the backdrop of Myanmar’s political crisis and a steady transformation commonly known as the ‘Spring Revolution’, the broadest front of resistance, known as the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC), endorsed and published a new Federal Democracy Charter in April.

A NEW CONSTITUTION FOR MYANMAR: Towards Consensus on an Inclusive Federal Democracy provides a study of the constitutional history and trajectory of Myanmar, together with an analysis of the positions of certain key stakeholders in Myanmar with regard to constitutional issues.

Since the coup conducted by the Myanmar military on 1 February 2021, the military regime has attempted to portray itself as the country’s legitimate government by arguing that it is adhering to the 2008 Constitution.

The promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women must be at the heart of our effort to strengthen democracy worldwide. Through behaviorally informed interventions, we can help small changes in the way legislatures oversee the use of public funds make a big difference in gender equality in the long run. 

Women make up over half of Myanmar’s population, yet significant obstacles remain for women to be able to participate in political processes and to achieve equal representation in Myanmar’s state institutions. Before the military coup on 1 February 2021, Myanmar’s 2020 general elections saw an increased number of women elected as members in legislatures (16 per cent) in comparison to the 2015 elections (13 per cent).

On 1 February last year, the Myanmar military abruptly took control of the central state institutions and arrested the elected President, many senior officials and political leaders.

The background to this brief is the context of the military coup in Myanmar in February 2021, and the declaration of a state of emergency by the military, which has effectively set aside the 2008 Constitution and the elections held under it. The coup has been rejected by the international community as illegitimate and has generated a strong civil disobedience and protest movement, and those elected in November 2020 have formed interim institutions aiming to move towards a democratic order.

Let’s talk about constitutions! is designed to present difficult constitutional concepts to non-specialist and young audiences in an entertaining and informative way. It has been developed to promote young people’s understanding of constitutional issues and thereby empower and inspire youth to play a full and meaningful part in their own constitution-building process.

Oversight by key government institutions can help to ensure that emergency spending is administered properly and efficiently.

Public participation has become a core element of modern constitution-building. Robust participation is credited with a range of benefits—from improving individual behaviours and attitudes to democracy to shaping elite bargaining dynamics, improving constitutional content, and strengthening outcomes for democracy and peace. Yet it is not well understood whether and how public participation can achieve these ends.

Modern constitutions typically contain a variety of provisions on language.

Countries often amend their constitutions or enact new ones following major political events, such as the founding of newly independent states, the fall of an authoritarian regime or the end of violent conflict.

Significant constitutional reform at a crucial moment is often a high-stakes process because a constitution regulates access to public power and resources among different groups.

Democratic reform in Myanmar has suffered a grave setback. The EU’s response to the military coup must be strong enough to reverse the political crisis and restore and renew democracy in Myanmar.

This post looks at emergency law responses to the Covid-19 pandemic in conflict-affected states in transition. While some type of emergency response to Covid-19 has been used in most states, we suggest that conflict ‘fault lines’ can mean that emergency law responses have a capacity to undermine transitions.

The International Women’s Day is observed worldwide on Monday 8th March.

International IDEA condemns the coup by Myanmar’s military and expresses our deep concern for the detentions of President Win Myint, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, Union Election Commission Chairman U Hla Thein, members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and civil society leaders, calling for their immediate release. We urge the military to fully respect, in words and in practice, the results of the recent parliamentary elections.

International IDEA’s Annual Review of Constitution-Building provides a retrospective account of constitutional transitions around the world, the issues that drive them, and their implications for national and international politics.

The Secretary-General of International IDEA, Dr Kevin Casa-Zamora sent this letter dated 16 October 2020 to H.E. U Hla Thein, Chairman of Union Election Commission of Myanmar on the mVoter2020 application.  

H.E. U Hla Thein 
Chairman
Union Election Commission

Your Excellency,

International IDEA presents its compliments to H.E. U Hla Thein, Honorable Chairman of the Union Election Commission of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.

Statement from the Board of Advisors on International IDEA’s role in Myanmar

Dear Member States, 

International IDEA has paid close attention to the concerns that many domestic and international actors as well as civil society have expressed on the voter education tool mVoter2020.  International IDEA has been in communication with the Myanmar’s Union Election Commission (UEC) relaying these concerns and suggesting that information on any candidate’s ethnicity and religion be eliminated from the application.