Constitutional Assembly Elected 72 Years Ago

By Wei Yan Aung 9 April 2019

The election for Myanmar’s constitutional assembly was held on this day 72 years ago. The Anti-Fascist People’s Freedom League (AFPFL), led by General Aung San, won a landslide victory with 95.3 percent of the vote in a poll held under the Aung San-Atlee Agreement.

The AFPFL submitted a draft constitution to the assembly in June 1947. Gen. Aung San and his colleagues were assassinated on July 19 as they were reviewing the draft.

Two months after Gen. Aung San’s death, the assembly passed Myanmar’s first Constitution, known as the 1947 Constitution. It took effect on Jan. 4, 1948, the day Myanmar regained independence. The first government of Myanmar was sworn in at the assembly the same day.

The 1947 Constitution came to an end in 1962 when the military staged a coup that toppled the AFPFL government.