Parliament to hold its first session next month: NUP

Construction of parliamentary buildings (above) in the Burmese junta’s capital of Naypyidaw was still under way in August, 2010. The party that came second in number of seats in national elections last month, the National Unity Party, speculated on December 8, 2010 that the first session of the new parliament’s lower house would convene in late next month. Photo: Mizzima

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The second most successful party in recent national elections, the National Unity Party, speculated yesterday that the first session of Pyithu Hluttaw (lower house of the national parliament) would convene in late next month.


“We estimate that the first session of Hluttaw [sic] has to be convened in third or fourth week of this coming January,” NUP spokesman Han Shwe told Mizzima.

According to the 2008 constitution, the Pyithu Hluttaw must be convened within 90 days of the polling date, which was November 7.

Moreover, after convening the first session of the Pyithu Hluttaw, the Amyotha Hluttaw (House of Nationalities or Upper House) must be arranged within a week. Then the joint sitting of the two chambers, called the Pyithaungsu Hluttaw (Union Parliament), has to be held within 15 days of the first session of the Amyotha Hluttaw, the provision in constitution stipulates.

Political parties and observers speculate that the main agenda to be deliberated in the forthcoming Hluttaw sessions will be placing “all ethnic armed forces … under the total control of Tatmadaw [armed forces]”.

There are currently six ethnic armed groups under ceasefire with the ruling Burmese military junta still refusing to transform their troops into junta-controlled Border Guard Forces (BGF).

Construction of parliamentary buildings (above) in the Burmese junta’s capital of Naypyidaw was still under way in August, 2010. The party that came second in number of seats in national elections last month, the National Unity Party, speculated on December 8, 2010 that the first session of the new parliament’s lower house would convene in late next month. Photo: Mizzima

“They will likely resolve the issue of transforming ethnic armies into the BGFs within the constitutional framework through deliberations in parliament because the ethnic MPs will be present in these chambers,” Han Shwe said.

The Union Solidartiy and Development Party (USDP) won 882 seats out of total 1,154 seats with more than 76 per cent of the popular vote. The NUP stands second with more than five per cent of the popular vote, with 63 seats.

The results however have been subject to widespread condemnation amid extensive reports of electoral fraud that included coercion to vote for the USDP, bribery of the electorate, ballot stuffing and a creative array of other vote-rigging techniques.

On top of that, the Burmese junta has warned that anyone who files a complaint against the November 7 elections risks a three-year prison sentence.

NUP candidates were also unsatisfied with the election result and were planning to lodge a protest by depositing one million kyat (US$1,000), the junta-designed requirement for each complaint, a NUP source said. The party had already raised election irregularities with the junta-controlled electoral watchdog, the Union Election Commission.

NUP general secretary Khin Maung Gyi attended a meeting with visiting United States deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs Joseph Yun in Rangoon on Tuesday, with other representatives from parties that won seats in the polls.

He discussed the US-Burma relationship and the prevailing situation of the new government with the US envoy, Han Shwe said.

Source:http://mizzima.com/news/election-2010-/4655-parliament-to-hold-its-first-session-next-month-nup.html