Myanmar is a unitary republic, with elected representatives at the national and, state or region levels. On the national level, the head of state, the President, is elected indirectly through an Electoral College. According to the 2008 constitution, the term durations of the legislature, the President, and the Cabinet are five years. All elections are regulated by the Union Election Commission.
The president of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar is the head of state and nominal head of government of Myanmar. The president leads the Cabinet of Myanmar, the executive branch of the Burmese government. The current president is Myint Swe, who assumed the presidency in an acting capacity on 1 February 2021 after the 2021 coup d'état.
The Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar is the supreme law of Myanmar. Myanmar's first constitution adopted by constituent assembly was enacted for the Union of Burma in 1947. After the 1962 Burmese coup d'état, a second constitution was enacted in 1974. The country has been ruled by military juntas for most of its history.
The Shan Nationalities League for Democracy is a political party in Myanmar (Burma). The party was established on 26 October 1988, and campaigns for the interests of the Shan people. The SNLD became the largest Shan party in the Assembly of the Union following the 2015 general election. The party is a federal party having local branches in most townships in Shan State and few in other states and regions such as Kayah, Kachin, and Mandalay.
The Arakan League for Democracy is a political party active in Rakhine State, Myanmar (Burma).
The Union Solidarity and Development Party is a political party in Myanmar, registered on 8 June 2010 by the Union Election Commission and currently standing as the largest opposition party in the bicameral Assembly of the Union. It is the successor to the formerly ruling military junta's mass organisation, the Union Solidarity and Development Association. The party was headed by President Thein Sein until 2013, and its headquarters are in Naypyidaw's Dekkhinathiri Township. It is known for its close ties with the military and most of the party officials are former military personnel. The party supported the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, as well as the military junta during the subsequent protests by the public.
The Pyidaungsu Hluttaw is the de jure national-level bicameral legislature of Myanmar established by the 2008 National Constitution. The Pyidaungsu Hluttaw is made up of two houses, the Amyotha Hluttaw, a 224-seat upper house as well as the Pyithu Hluttaw, a 440-seat lower house.
The Amyotha Hluttaw is the de jure upper house of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, the bicameral legislature of Myanmar (Burma). It consists of 224 members, of whom 168 are directly elected and 56 appointed by the Myanmar Armed Forces. The last elections to the Amyotha Hluttaw were held in November 2015. At its second meeting on 3 February 2016, Mahn Win Khaing Than and Aye Thar Aung were elected Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Amyotha Hluttaw and Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw as a whole.
The Pyithu Hluttaw is the de jure lower house of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, the bicameral legislature of Myanmar (Burma). It consists of 440 members, of which 330 are directly elected through the first-past-the-post system in each townships, and 110 are appointed by the Myanmar Armed Forces.
The Rakhine Nationalities Development Party was a political party in Myanmar (Burma), representing the interests of the Rakhine people in Rakhine State and Yangon Region. The party contested 44 seats, of which it won 35. RNDP was the largest party in the Rakhine State Hluttaw, the sole State or Region Hluttaw whose largest party was not the Union Solidarity and Development Party following the 2010 General Election. The party was at times accused of stirring up anti-Muslim feelings.
Myanmar is divided into twenty-one administrative subdivisions, which include seven states, seven regions, five self-administered zones and one self-administered division. The regions were called divisions prior to August 2010.
Win Myint is a Burmese politician who served as the tenth president of Myanmar from 2018 to 2021. He was removed from office in the 2021 Burmese coup d'état. He was the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Myanmar from 2016 to 2018. He also served as a member of parliament in the House of Representatives from 2012 to 2018. Win Myint was viewed as an important ally and placeholder for State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, who served as the actual head of government but was constitutionally barred from the presidency.
General elections were held in Myanmar on 8 November 2015, with the National League for Democracy winning a supermajority of seats in the combined national parliament. Voting occurred in all constituencies, excluding seats appointed by the military, to select Members of Assembly to seats in both the upper house and the lower house of the Assembly of the Union, and State and Region Hluttaws. Ethnic Affairs Ministers were also elected by their designated electorates on the same day, although only select ethnic minorities in particular states and regions were entitled to vote for them.
The Arakan National Party, is a political party in Myanmar (Burma), representing the interests of the Rakhine people in Rakhine State and Yangon Region. The party was founded on 13 January 2014 and registered with the Union Election Commission on 6 March 2014. The chairman of the ANP is Thar Htun Hla. The party is known for its hardline ethnic nationalist stance, as well as its Islamophobic and anti-Rohingya positions. Some members of the party were involved in instigating violence against Rohingya people during the communal riots in 2012, which left dozens dead and thousands homeless.
Yangon Region Hluttaw is the legislature of the Burmese region of Yangon Region. It is a unicameral body, consisting of 123 members, including 92 elected members and 31 military representatives. As of February 2016, the Hluttaw was led by speaker Tin Maung Tun of the National League for Democracy (NLD).
Mandalay Region Hluttaw is the legislature of the Mandalay Region in Myanmar (Burma). It is a unicameral body, consisting of 76 members, including 57 elected members and 19 military representatives. As of February 2016, the Hluttaw was led by speaker Aung Kyaw Oo of the National League for Democracy (NLD).
Kayah State Hluttaw is the legislature of the Burmese state of Kayah State. It is a unicameral body, consisting of 20 members, including 15 elected members and 5 military representatives. As of February 2016, the Hluttaw was led by speaker Hla Htwe of the National League for Democracy (NLD).
Shan State Hluttaw is the legislature of Shan State in Burma, established on February 8, 2016. It is a unicameral body, consisting of 137 members—103 elected members and 34 military representatives. As of February 2016, Sai Long Hseng of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) leads the Hluttaw.
The Chin Progressive Party is a Chin political party in Myanmar.
General elections were held in Myanmar on 8 November 2020. Voting occurred in all constituencies, excluding seats appointed by or reserved for the military, to elect members to both the upper house- Amyotha Hluttaw and the lower house- Pyithu Hluttaw of the Assembly of the Union, as well as State and Regional Hluttaws (legislatures). Ethnic Affairs Ministers were also elected by their designated electorates on the same day, although only select ethnic minorities in particular states and regions were entitled to vote for them. A total of 1,171 national, state, and regional seats were contested in the election, with polling having taken place in all townships, including areas considered conflict zones and self-administered regions.
