YANGON—The Union Parliament’s Charter Amendment Committee submitted more than 3,700 recommendations on Monday in the latest step in the government’s bid to change the military-drafted Constitution.
Drafted in 2008 by the then-ruling military junta, the charter has been widely criticized as undemocratic, particularly for the 25 percent of parliamentary seats it reserves for military appointees—enough to veto proposed amendments.
Despite drawing strong objections from the military appointees and lawmakers from the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), the National League for Democracy-dominated Parliament voted in favor of forming the joint Charter Amendment Committee in February. It was the NLD’s first move to amend the Constitution since taking office in 2016.
The committee comprises 45 members, including representatives of 14 political parties, independents and members of the military’s 25 percent bloc in Parliament. Committee seats were allocated in proportion to the groups’ representation in Parliament. Over a period of 145 days, the committee collected a total of 3,765 recommendations.
However, the military candidates objected to the formation of the committee from the outset, complaining that it is unconstitutional. Despite their presence on the committee, they have not contributed any recommendations, while ethnic parties, the ruling NLD, opposition USDP and even an independent candidate provided input on proposed charter changes.
Here, The Irrawaddy breaks down the nearly 4,000 recommendations—what they are and who is behind them—using graphics and numbers to help you understand them.
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Number of Recommendations Made by Each Party
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