Burma's Sordid History of Unfair Elections

THE IRRAWADDY- With an abusive political state, what changes will the 2010 elections bring for the people of Burma? Besides, the 2008 Constitution which provides for military supremacy is reported to have been fraudulently voted upon under repressive conditions during the May 2008 Referendum as earlier reported.

The following is a report from the Irrawaddy on Burma's sordid history of unfair elections.

People are increasingly concerned about the credibility of the Burmese elections scheduled to be held sometime in 2010.

Ian Kelly, a spokesman for the US State Department, said recently that the military regime has taken no meaningful steps to put in place measures that would lead to a credible election.

What are the steps required for a credible election?

Most Burmese citizens, based on their experience, see the election as just another puppet show. A quick review of the history of Burmese elections shows that their cynicism is to be expected.

They have experienced many elections under different military regimes, following a referendum in 1973 that approved a constitution. Then in the 1990 national elections, a vast majority of citizens cast their votes in favor of democratic reform candidates, only to see the results of that landslide victory ignored by the military government.

Instead, after the 1990 election, the military regime convened a National Convention to draft a new constitution, which took 14 years and 9 months to complete. A Constitution Drafting Commission was finally assembled on Oct. 27, 2007, which took a mere three months to draft the constitution that was voted on in the referendum. Many delegates complained that the drafting process was undemocratic and deeply biased in favor of the junta.

On Feb. 9, 2008, the regime announced that the constitutional referendum would be held in May. Copies of the proposed constitution were finally published on April 9, one month ahead of the referendum, leaving citizens little time to debate and understand the fine points of the draft constitution. The referendum was held on May 10. Clearly, it was a rush to judgment designed to put into place an anti-democratic constitution that ensures the military government's hold on power.

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