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Burmese Junta resigns, expected to contest polls as civilians | The military Junta in Myannamar, including the Prime Minister, has resigned and is expected to contest general elections to be held this year as civilians.
The Prime Minister, General Thein Sein, and twenty-two other Cabinet Ministers
are reported to have given up their uniforms on Monday. No official reason was
given for this move. Meanwhile, no date has been given for the elections, which
will be the country's first in two decades. It is expected to take place in October
or November. The elections will bring into force a new constitution in which a
new national legislature will be made up of 330 elected civilians and 110 military
representatives. "They will be wearing suits rather than uniforms, but it's just
the first stage in the transition from a military dictatorship to a civilian dictatorship,"
The Guardian quoted Mark Farmaner, the director of the Burma Campaign UK, a pro-democracy
pressure group as saying. Farmaner said that under the new constitution, real
power would reside in a national defence and security council. Parliament would
serve as no more than a rubber stamp. The head of the armed forces, General Than
Shwe, would remain the most powerful figure in the country and key ministries
would remain under military control. More than 20 new parties have applied to
register, but so far only five have been granted permission. Most of those given
the green light are close to the ruling regime. The main opposition party, the
National League for Democracy (NLD) has said it will not participate because election
laws announced in March would require the league to expel its leader, Aung San
Suu Kyi, for having a criminal record. |
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