Myanmar is a unitary parliamentary republic under its constitution of 2008. The Economist Intelligence Unit has rated Myanmar as "hybrid regime" in 2016. The military of Burma holds a large amount of power in the government, despite the end of the last Burmese military dictatorship.
General elections were held in Myanmar on 7 November 2010, in accordance with the new constitution, which was approved in a referendum held in May 2008. The election date was announced by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) on 13 August.
Sayadaw U Ottama was a Burmese Theravada Buddhist monk, author and a leader of the Burmese independence movement during British colonial rule. The ethnic Rakhine (Arakanese) monk was imprisoned several times by the British colonial government for his anti-colonialist political activities. He is considered one of the national heroes of modern Myanmar.
Dobama Asiayone, commonly known as the Thakhins, was a Burmese nationalist group formed around the 1930s and composed of young, disgruntled intellectuals. Drawing their name from the way in which the British were addressed during colonial times, the party was established by Ba Thaung in May 1930, bringing together traditionalist Buddhist nationalist elements and fresh political ideals. It was significant in stirring up political consciousness in Burma, and drew most of its support base from students.
General elections were held in Burma on 9 April 1947 to form the basis of a constituent assembly that would design a constitution once independence from the United Kingdom had been achieved. They were the first elections in Burma since its separation from India under the British Raj. Voter turnout was 49.8%. However, Aung San was assassinated three months later, resulting in U Nu becoming the first Prime Minister of Burma.
General elections were held in Burma on 26 November 1936. The Government of Burma Act 1935 separated Burma from British India as of 1 April 1937, and created a 36-seat Senate and a 132-seat House of Representatives. The pro-constitution United GCBA of U Ba Pe emerged as the largest bloc in the House of Representatives, winning 46 seats. However, few parties were willing to work with U Ba Pe, and the Governor invited Ba Maw to form a government, despite his Poor Man's Party winning only 16 seats. Maw became Chief Minister after forming a coalition with Chit Hlaing and other "moderate extremists".
Legislative Council elections were held in Burma on 21 November 1922, the first in the country's history.
Elections to the Legislative Council were held in Burma on 17 November 1925. Under the terms of the dyarchy constitution, the Legislative Council of Burma was advisory to the British colonial governor, and had some direct authority over education, local government, public health, agriculture and forests. The Nationalist Party received the most votes, but was unable to form a government as the British authorities favoured the Independent Party, who formed a government led by Joseph Maung Gyi.
The 969 Movement is a nationalist movement opposed to what they see as Islam’s expansion in predominantly-Buddhist Burma. The three digits of 969 "symbolise the virtues of the Buddha, Buddhist practices and the Buddhist community". The first 9 stands for the nine special attributes of the Lord Buddha and the 6 for the six special attributes of his Dharma, or Buddhist Teachings, and the last 9 represents the nine special attributes of Buddhist Sangha. Those special attributes are the Three Jewels of the Buddha. In the past, the Buddha, Sangha, Dhamma, the wheel of Dhamma, and "969" were Buddhist signs.
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 Young Men's Buddhist Association (YMBA) was a Buddhist cultural organisation in Burma.
The General Council of Burmese Associations (GCBA), also known as the Great Burma Organisation, was a political party in Burma.
The Swaraj Party was a political party in Burma in the 1920s.
The Burma for the Burmans League was a political alliance in Burma.
The Burma Democratic Party was a political party in Burma.
The Union Party was the ruling political party in Burma in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Formed by a split in the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League, it was initially known as the Clean AFPFL.
