Shan State, also known by the endonym Shanland, is a state of Myanmar. Shan State borders China (Yunnan) to the north, Laos to the east, and Thailand to the south, and five administrative divisions of Burma (Myanmar) in the west. The largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area, Shan State covers 155,800 km2, almost a quarter of the total area of Myanmar. The state gets its name from Burmese name for the Tai peoples: "Shan people". The Tai (Shan) constitute the majority among several ethnic groups that inhabit the area. Shanland is largely rural, with only three cities of significant size: Lashio, Kengtung, and the capital, Taunggyi. Taunggyi is 150.7 km northeast of the nation's capital Naypyitaw.
The National Unity Party (NUP) is a political party in Myanmar (Burma). It is the successor to the Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP), which ruled the country from 1962 to 1988. The party's headquarters are in Bahan Township, Yangon.
Insurgencies have been ongoing in Myanmar since 1948, the year the country, then known as Burma, gained independence from the United Kingdom. The conflict has largely been ethnic-based, with several ethnic armed groups fighting Myanmar's armed forces, the Tatmadaw, for self-determination. Despite numerous ceasefires and the creation of autonomous self-administered zones in 2008, many armed groups continue to call for independence, increased autonomy, or the federalisation of the country. The conflict is the world's longest ongoing civil war, having spanned more than seven decades.
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.
The Shan Nationalities League for Democracy is a de-registered 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 Kokang Democracy and Unity Party (KDUP) is a political party in Myanmar (Burma) representing the interests of the Kokang Chinese and the administration in the Kokang Self-Administered Zone.
The Chin National Front is a Chin nationalist political organization in Myanmar. According to its website, its armed wing, the Chin National Army (CNA), fights the government of Myanmar. The group was founded on 20 March 1988. This organization claims to seek a Federal Union based on self-determination, ethnic equality and democracy. The Chin people are one of the four founding members of the Union of Burma. In 2021, CNF became a member of the National Unity Consultative Council.
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.
La John Ngan Hsai was the Chief Minister of Kachin State, Myanmar from 2011 to 2016. He is an ethnic Kachin businessman.
The Kachin State Democracy Party was a minor political party in Myanmar (Burma). It was founded in 2013 by the former Vice President of the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO), Dr. Manam Tu Ja, who led the official KIO delegation that participated in the military sponsored National Convention; which resulted in the drafting of the 2008 constitution.
The Tai-Leng Nationalities Development Party, also known as the Shanni Nationalities Development Party (SNDP), is a minor political party in Myanmar (Burma). The party seeks to represent the Shan-ni people, who live in Kachin State and northern Sagaing Region.
The Mon National Party (MNP) was a political party in Myanmar (Burma).
An Ethnic Affairs Minister is a representative elected by an ethnic minority in a given state or region of Myanmar if that division is composed of an ethnic minority population of 0.1 percent or greater of the total populace [roughly 51,400 people]. If one of the country's ethnic minorities counts their state of residence as its namesake, however, it is not granted an ethnic affairs minister. Only voters who share an ethnic identity with a given ethnic affairs minister post are allowed to vote for candidates to the position.
The United Nationalities League for Democracy was a political alliance in Myanmar.
The Federal Union Party is a political party in Myanmar (Burma). The party was formed by sixteen ethnic political parties that were part of the Nationalities Brotherhood Forum (NBF). Its most influential region is Shan State, where it hoped to pose a challenge to the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and the National League for Democracy (NLD) during the 2015 general election.
Lahpai Maw Htun Aung is a Burmese politician, social activist and technologist. He is a deputy minister of electricity and energy of the National Unity Government of Myanmar formed by the opponents of the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état.
In Myanmar's next general election, voters are expected to elect representatives to both the Amyotha Hluttaw and the Pyithu Hluttaw of the Assembly of the Union. The planned election would be the first after the 2021 military coup d'état. Though the military junta, the State Administration Council, initially promised to hold the election by August 2023, it has since indefinitely delayed the election in the face of increasing violence.
The National Unity Consultative Council is an advisory body of the National Unity Government of Myanmar. Formed in response to the 2021 Myanmar coup d'etat, the NUCC seeks to overthrow the military dictatorship and build a federal democratic union in Myanmar through collective leadership, political dialogue, and coordination. NUCC is a historic alliance of ethnic armed organizations and the Bamar majority, and is considered one of the most inclusive in modern Burmese history.
