General Elections 2020 in Myanmar
Sunday 8 November
Background [Network Myanmar Files on the Wayback Machine]
1990 General Elections and Commentary
2010 General Elections: Analysis and Results
2012 By-Elections: Results, Analysis and Commentary
2015 General Elections: The Campaign
2015 General Elections: Results, Analysis and Commentary
Basic Documents
Myanmar Management Information Unit - Core Documents - Sep 2020
NLD presents its policy, stance and work programmes - GNLM 18 Sep 2020
Website of the Union Election Commission (Burmese only)
Majority Rules in Myanmar's Second Democratic Election: ICG - 22 October 2020
Selected General Articles on the 2020 Elections
Myanmar election will fall short of democratic standards
Richard Horsey - Financial Times 10 September 2020
The future of Myanmar politics is deeply uncertain. Aung San Suu Kyi is 75 as she heads towards a second five-year term, with no apparent succession plan. The constitution requires civilian governments to share power with the military. Myanmar will only be able to solve its big problems - lack of peace, minority rights, the Rohingya crisis - if a civilian government with the vision to do so can bring the military onside. This election is unlikely to produce that result.
Myanmar: Election Fundamentally Flawed
Human Rights Watch - 5 October 2020
Electoral problems include discriminatory citizenship and other laws that bar most Rohingya Muslim voters and candidates; reservation of 25 percent of parliamentary seats for the military; criminal prosecutions of government critics; unequal party access to government media; and the lack of an independent election commission and complaints resolution mechanism.
Securing a Fair Election in Myanmar's Conflict Zones
Khin Khin Mra - New Mandala 13 October 2020
Myanmar’s election this year is marked by positive developments such as new levels of party competition, with participation by more than 90 parties. However, the inclusion and access of voters in Rakhine state remains a formidable challenge. Without active measures from the government to ensure voters can reach polling stations in the conflict-affected state, the integrity and legitimacy of the 2020 election will be in dispute. As the AA’s armed struggle appears increasingly attractive to young and first-time voters, Myanmar’s democracy cannot afford the appearance of another false promise.
Myanmar: Ethnic Politics and the 2020 General Election
Transnational Institute (TNI) - 23 September 2020
The 2020 general election is scheduled to take place at a critical moment in Myanmar’s transition from half a century under military rule. The advent of the National League for Democracy to government office in March 2016 was greeted by all the country’s peoples as the opportunity to bring about real change. But since this time, the ethnic peace process has faltered, constitutional reform has not started, and conflict has escalated in several parts of the country, becoming emergencies of grave international concern.
Miscellaneous
A Chinese View: Ge Hongliang - Global Times 10 October 2020
Another Chinese View: Bi Shihong - Global Times 18 October 2020
An Indian View: Dr S Chandrasekharan - South Asia Analysis Group 18 October 2020
Discussion Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand - Bangkok 15 October 2020
A Rohingya View: Tun Khin Washington Post - 14 October 2020
A Kachin View: Lahpai Seng Raw Transnational Institute - 8 October 2020
A Rakhine view: Khin Khin Mra New Mandala - 13 October 2020
