Burmese general election, 1951–52

Burmese general election, 1951–52
All 250 seats in the Chamber of Deputies ; 126 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	18.75%
Prime Minister before election; U Nu ; AFPFL	Prime Minister-elect; U Nu ; AFPFL

Last updated March 17, 2019

General elections were held in Burma over several months between June 1951 and April 1952 due to internal conflict within the country.^[1]^[2]

The first elections since independence, they saw the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League (AFPFL) win 60% of the vote and 199 out of 250 seats. Voter turnout was low at 20%, as only 1.5 million voters out of an eligible 8 million participated.^[3] It was the lowest turnout for a Burmese election since the 1920s boycotts in colonial Burma.^[1]

The Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League, or hpa hsa pa la (ဖဆပလ) by its Burmese acronym, was the main political alliance in Burma from 1945 until 1958. It was founded by the Communist Party of Burma (CPB) led by Thakin Soe, the Burma National Army (BNA) led by Aung San, and the People's Revolutionary Party (PRP) at a meeting held between 1–3 March 1945 as a reorganised version of the Anti-Fascist Organisation (AFO), formed to resist the Japanese occupation. The new organisation aimed to resist the Japanese occupation and achieve independence.

Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election. Eligibility varies by country, and the voting-eligible population should not be confused with the total adult population. Age and citizenship status are often among the criteria used to determine eligibility, but some countries further restrict eligibility based on sex, race, or religion.

Results

Party	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League and allies^[a]			199	+26
People's Democratic Front ^[b]			19	New
Independent Arakanese Parliamentary Group			6	New
Greater Burma Party			0	New
People's Peace Front			0	New
Union of Burma League			0	New
United Chin Freedom League			0	New
Independents			15	13
Vacant	–	–	11	–
Invalid/blank votes		–	–	–
Total	1,500,000	100	250	40
Registered voters/turnout	8,000,000	18.75	–	–
Source: Nohlen et al.

^a AFPFL allies included the Burma Socialist Party, the All-Burma Peasants Organisation, the Burma Muslim Congress, the Kachin National Congress (7 seats), the Union Karen League (13), the Chin Hills Congress, the United Hill People's Congress, the All-Burma Women's Freedom League and the All-Burma Federation of Trade Organisations, the Arakanese Muslim Association (3).^[4]^[5]

The Burma Socialist Party, initially known as the People's Freedom (Socialist) Party was a political party in Burma. BSP was the dominant party in Burmese politics after 1948. It was the dominant political force inside the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League.

The Burma Muslim Congress was a Muslim political party in Burma.

The Kachin National Congress was a political party in Burma.

^b The People's Democratic Front was an alliance of the Burma Workers and Peasants Party (12 seats), the Patriotic Alliance and the Burma Democratic Party.^[5]

The Burma Workers Party, until 1958 the Burma Workers and Peasants Party, was a communist party in Burma, formed on 8 December 1950, by leftist elements of the Socialist Party. In December 1962 it merged with the People's Comrade Party to form the United Workers Party. In March 1964, it was among the many parties banned by decree of the Revolutionary Council.

The Patriotic Alliance was a political alliance in Burma.

The Burma Democratic Party was a political party in Burma.

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References

1 2 Taylor, Robert H. (1996). The Politics of elections in Southeast Asia. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 173. ISBN 978-0-521-56443-4.
↑ Hoffmann, Mark S (1954). World almanac and book of facts, Volume 69. Newspaper Enterprise Association. p. 338.
↑ Rotberg, Robert I (1998). Burma: prospects for a democratic future. Brookings Institution Press. p. 43. ISBN 978-0-8157-7581-2.
↑ Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume I, p614 ISBN 0-19-924958-X
1 2 Haruhiro Fukui (1985) Political parties of Asia and the Pacific, Greenwood Press, pp106–154

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[cup-1] 1 2 Taylor, Robert H. (1996). The Politics of elections in Southeast Asia. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 173. ISBN 978-0-521-56443-4.

[2] Hoffmann, Mark S (1954). World almanac and book of facts, Volume 69. Newspaper Enterprise Association. p. 338.

[rot-3] Rotberg, Robert I (1998). Burma: prospects for a democratic future. Brookings Institution Press. p. 43. ISBN 978-0-8157-7581-2.

[4] Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume I, p614 ISBN 0-19-924958-X

[PP-5] 1 2 Haruhiro Fukui (1985) Political parties of Asia and the Pacific, Greenwood Press, pp106–154

[a]

[b]

v t e Elections and referendums in Myanmar
General elections	1922 1925 1928 1932 1936 1947 1951–52 1956 1960 1974 1978 1981 1985 1990 2010 2015
By-elections	2012 2017
Referendums	1973 2008