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Line 3: {{Use dmy dates\|date=February 2020}} {{Infobox document \|document_name = Constitution of the Republic of the <br />Union of Myanmar <br />(2008) ~~\|image =~~ ~~\|image_width = 230px~~ ~~\|image_caption = Page one of the original copy of the Constitution~~ \|date_created = 9 April 2008 \|date_ratified = 29 May 2008 ~~(abolished on 31 March 2021)~~ \|date_effective = 31 January 2011 \|location_of_document = \|signers = \|purpose = To replace the 1974 Constitution of the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma }} {{Politics of Myanmar}} The '''Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar''' ({{~~lang-~~langx\|my\|ပြည်ထောင်စုသမ္မတမြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော် ဖွဲ့စည်းပုံအခြေခံဥပဒေ\|links=\|translit=~~}} {{IPA-my\|mjəmà nàɪɰ̃ŋàɰ̃ pʰwɛ̰zíbòʊɰ̃ ʔətɕèɡàɰ̃ ʔṵbədè\|~~}}) is the supreme law of [[Myanmar]]. Myanmar's first constitution adopted by constituent assembly was enacted for the [[Myanmar\|Union of Burma]] in 1947.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://www.myanmar-law-library.org/law-library/laws-and-regulations/constitutions/1947-constitution.html\|title=Constitution of 1947 - Myanmar Law Library\|website=www.myanmar-law-library.org\|language=fr\|access-date=2018-10-20\|archive-date=20 October 2018\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020223803/http://www.myanmar-law-library.org/law-library/laws-and-regulations/constitutions/1947-constitution.html\|url-status=live}}</ref> After the [[1962 Burmese coup d'état]], a second constitution was enacted in 1974. The country has been ruled by [[military junta]]s for most of its history. The [[2008 Constitution of Myanmar\|2008 Constitution]], the country's third [[constitution]],<ref>[http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs5/Myanmar_Constitution-2008-en.pdf "Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (2008)"] {{Webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190816065930/http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs5/Myanmar_Constitution-2008-en.pdf \|date=16 August 2019 }} full text in English from ''Burma Library'', last accessed 5 October 2010</ref> was published in September 2008<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.burmalibrary.org/show.php?cat=1140&lo=d&sl=0\|title=Online Burma Library > Main Library > Law and Constitution > Constitutional and parliamentary processes > National constitutions, draft constitutions, amendments and announcements (texts)\|website=Burmalibrary.org\|access-date=16 January 2018\|archive-date=19 March 2021\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319101324/http://www.burmalibrary.org/show.php?cat=1140&lo=d&sl=0\|url-status=live}}</ref> after a referendum, and came into force on 31 January 2011.<ref name="ct">{{cite web \|url=https://www.constitutionaltribunal.gov.mm/my/laws-history-five \|title=၂၀၀၈ ဖွဲ့စည်းပုံအခြေခံဥပဒေ \|trans-title=2008 Constitution \|language=my \|author=<!--Not stated--> \|date=March 2018 \|website=Constitutional Tribunal of the Union of Myanmar \|access-date= \|quote=ဖွဲ့စည်းပုံအခြေခံဥပဒေပြဋ္ဌာန်းချက်များနှင့်အညီ ၂၀၀၈ ဖွဲ့စည်းပုံအခြေခံဥပဒေသည် ပထမအကြိမ် ပြည်ထောင်စုလွှတ်တော်စတင်ကျင်းပသည့် ၃၁-၁-၂၀၁၁ ရက်နေ့တွင် စတင်အာဏာတည်ခဲ့သည်။ \|archive-date=22 April 2022 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220422162907/https://www.constitutionaltribunal.gov.mm/my/laws-history-five \|url-status=live }}</ref> Under this current constitution, the [[Tatmadaw]] (Myanmar Armed Forces) retain significant control of the government, even before their [[2021 Myanmar coup d'état\|coup of 2021]]. 25% of seats in the [[Parliament of Myanmar]] were reserved for serving military officers. The ministries of [[Ministry of Home Affairs (Myanmar)\|home]], [[Ministry of Border Affairs (Myanmar)\|border affairs]] and [[Ministry of Defence (Myanmar)\|defense]] were headed by a serving [[Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services\|military officer]].<ref name="bbc.com">{{cite news\|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-35457290/why-does-military-still-keep-25-of-the-seats-myanmar-parliament\|title=Why is army still in Myanmar parliament?\|work=BBC News\|access-date=16 January 2018\|archive-date=28 October 2017\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171028000033/http://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-35457290/why-does-military-still-keep-25-of-the-seats-myanmar-parliament\|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite web\|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2015/11/12/opinions/myanmar-aung-san-suu-kyi-military/index.html\|title=Can Aung San Suu Kyi control Myanmar's military?\|author=Phil Robertson\|website=CNN\|date=12 November 2015 \|access-date=16 January 2018\|archive-date=4 March 2018\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180304055303/https://edition.cnn.com/2015/11/12/opinions/myanmar-aung-san-suu-kyi-military/index.html\|url-status=live}}</ref> The military also appointed one of the country's two [[Vice-President of Myanmar\|vice presidents]].<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.mmtimes.com/national-news/19670-managing-the-defence-and-security-council.html\|title=Managing the defence and security council\|website=Mmtimes.com\|date=28 March 2016\|access-date=16 January 2018\|archive-date=13 September 2017\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913135451/https://www.mmtimes.com/national-news/19670-managing-the-defence-and-security-council.html\|url-status=dead}}</ref> Hence, the country's civilian leaders have little influence over the security establishment.<ref name="bbc.com" /><ref name="auto" /> The [[2008 Constitution of Myanmar\|2008 Constitution]], the country's third [[constitution]],<ref>[http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs5/Myanmar_Constitution-2008-en.pdf "Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (2008)"] full text in English from ''Burma Library'', last accessed 5 October 2010</ref> was published in September 2008<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.burmalibrary.org/show.php?cat=1140&lo=d&sl=0\|title=Online Burma Library > Main Library > Law and Constitution > Constitutional and parliamentary processes > National constitutions, draft constitutions, amendments and announcements (texts)\|website=Burmalibrary.org\|access-date=16 January 2018}}</ref> after a referendum. During the [[2021 Myanmar protests]], which was a response to the [[2021 Myanmar coup d'état\|coup in February 1]], this constitution was abolished by the new civilian government, [[Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw]].<ref>https://twitter.com/CrphMyanmar/status/1377295321223467013</ref> The [[Tatmadaw]] (Myanmar Armed Forces) retain significant control of the government under the 2008 constitution. 25% of seats in the [[Parliament of Myanmar]] are reserved for serving military officers. The ministries of home, border affairs and defense have to be headed by a serving military officer.<ref name="bbc.com">{{cite web\|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-35457290/why-does-military-still-keep-25-of-the-seats-myanmar-parliament\|title=Why is army still in Myanmar parliament?\|website=BBC News\|access-date=16 January 2018}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite web\|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2015/11/12/opinions/myanmar-aung-san-suu-kyi-military/index.html\|title=Can Aung San Suu Kyi control Myanmar's military?\|author=Phil Robertson\|website=CNN\|access-date=16 January 2018}}</ref> The military also appoints one of the country's two vice presidents.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.mmtimes.com/national-news/19670-managing-the-defence-and-security-council.html\|title=Managing the defence and security council\|website=Mmtimes.com\|access-date=16 January 2018}}</ref> Hence, the country's civilian leaders have little influence over the security establishment.<ref name="bbc.com"/><ref name="auto"/> ==History== Before independence, Myanmar had two quasi-constitutions, The government of Burma Act, 1935<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://www.myanmar-law-library.org/law-library/laws-and-regulations/constitutions/government-of-burma-act-1935.html\|title=Government of Burma Act, 1935 - Myanmar Law Library\|website=www.myanmar-law-library.org\|language=fr\|access-date=2018-10-20\|archive-date=20 October 2018\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020142106/http://www.myanmar-law-library.org/law-library/laws-and-regulations/constitutions/government-of-burma-act-1935.html\|url-status=live}}</ref> and Constitution of Burma under Japanese occupation, 1943.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://www.myanmar-law-library.org/law-library/laws-and-regulations/constitutions/constitution-of-1943-under-japanese-occupation.html\|title=Constitution of 1943 (under Japanese occupation) - Myanmar Law Library\|website=www.myanmar-law-library.org\|language=fr\|access-date=2018-10-20\|archive-date=20 October 2018\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020225253/http://www.myanmar-law-library.org/law-library/laws-and-regulations/constitutions/constitution-of-1943-under-japanese-occupation.html\|url-status=live}}</ref> After independence, Myanmar adopted three constitutions in 1947,<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://www.myanmar-law-library.org/law-library/laws-and-regulations/constitutions/1947-constitution.html\|title=Constitution of 1947 - Myanmar Law Library\|website=www.myanmar-law-library.org\|language=fr\|access-date=2018-10-20\|archive-date=20 October 2018\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020223803/http://www.myanmar-law-library.org/law-library/laws-and-regulations/constitutions/1947-constitution.html\|url-status=live}}</ref> 1974<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://www.myanmar-law-library.org/law-library/laws-and-regulations/constitutions/1974-constitution.html\|title=Constitution of 1974 - Myanmar Law Library\|website=www.myanmar-law-library.org\|language=fr\|access-date=2018-10-20\|archive-date=20 October 2018\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020142205/http://www.myanmar-law-library.org/law-library/laws-and-regulations/constitutions/1974-constitution.html\|url-status=live}}</ref> and 2008.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://www.myanmar-law-library.org/law-library/laws-and-regulations/constitutions/2008-constitution.html\|title=Constitution of 2008 - Myanmar Law Library\|website=www.myanmar-law-library.org\|language=fr\|access-date=2018-10-20\|archive-date=20 October 2018\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020142108/http://www.myanmar-law-library.org/law-library/laws-and-regulations/constitutions/2008-constitution.html\|url-status=live}}</ref> The 2008 constitution is the present constitution of Myanmar. ===1947 constitution=== The 1947 constitution, officially the '''Constitution of the Union of Burma''' ({{lang\|my\|ပြည်ထောင်စုမြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော် ဖွဲ့စည်းအုပ်ချုပ်ပုံအခြေခံဥပဒေ}}), was drafted and approved by the Constituent Assembly of Burma in 1947,<ref>{{cite book \|title=THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNION OF BURMA \|author=[[~~Chan~~Constituent ~~Htoon~~Assembly of Burma]] \|date=1948 \|publisher=Published by Supdt., Govt. Printing and Stantionery Burma, Rangoon \|url=https://www.abebooks.com/first-edition/constitution-union-Burma-Constituent-Assembly-Hrsg/21842632872/bd \|access-date=15 March 2022 \|archive-date=15 March 2022 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315003826/https://www.abebooks.com/first-edition/constitution-union-Burma-Constituent-Assembly-Hrsg/21842632872/bd \|url-status=live }}</ref> and was used from the country's independence in 1948 tountil ~~1962,~~the ~~when~~military seizure of power during the [[1962 Burmese coup d'état\|1962 military coup]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal \|last=Diller \|first=Janelle M. \|date=1993-04-01 \|title=Constitutional Reform in a Repressive State: The Case of Burma \|url=https://online.ucpress.edu/as/article/33/4/393/23014/Constitutional-Reform-in-a-Repressive-State-The \|journal=Asian Survey \|language=en \|volume=33 \|issue=4 \|pages=393–407 \|doi=10.2307/2645105 \|jstor=2645105 \|issn=0004-4687}}</ref> This constitution was ~~suspended~~developed byin consultation with different ethnic groups including the ~~socialist~~Chin, ~~[[Union~~Kachin, ~~Revolutionary~~and ~~Council]]~~Shan people. In return, ~~led~~these bygroups ~~military~~were ~~general~~to ~~[[Ne~~receive ~~Win]]~~full autonomy in internal matters. The constitution also granted the right for ethnic states to secede from the new Union of Burma if so desired after ten years following independence in 1948.<ref name=":1" /> The national government consisted of three branches: [[Judicial branch\|judicial]], [[Legislative branch\|legislative]] and [[Executive branch\|executive]]. The legislative branch was a [[bicameral legislature]] called the [[Union Parliament]], consisting of two chambers, the 125-seat [[Chamber of Nationalities]] ({{lang\|my\|လူမျိုးစုလွှတ်တော်}} ''Lumyozu Hluttaw'') and the [[Chamber of Deputies (Myanmar)\|Chamber of Deputies]] ({{lang\|my\|ပြည်သူ့လွှတ်တော်}} ''Pyithu Hluttaw''), whose seat numbers were determined by the population size of respective constituencies.<ref>[http://www.blc-burma.org/html/Constitution/1947.html The Constitution of the Union of Burma] {{Webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630025838/http://www.blc-burma.org/html/Constitution/1947.html \|date=30 June 2015 }} (1947), Chapter VI: Parliament</ref><ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite news\| url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKBKK26169420080209 \| archive-url=https://archive.today/20120604103631/http://uk.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKBKK26169420080209 \| url-status=dead \| archive-date=4 June 2012 \| work=Reuters \| title=TIMELINE - Myanmar's slow road to a new constitution \| date=9 February 2008}}</ref> The 1947 constitution was largely based on the [[1946 Yugoslav Constitution]], as several Burmese officials visited [[Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia\|Yugoslavia]] earlier that year.<ref>DASMIP, PA, 1947, f-124, 425154, Zabeleska o razgovoru druga Price sa predstavnikom burmanske vlade Maung Ohn, dana 5 decembra 1947 godine [Minutes of conversation between comrade Prica and the representative of the Burmese Government Maung Ohn, December 5th 1947]. F. S. V. Donnison, Burma (London: Ernest Benn Limited, 1970), p. 141.</ref> Just as Yugoslavia at that time was a [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia\|federation]], so was Burma under the 1947 constitution. Despite this, the country was governed like a [[unitary state]], and not a [[federation]], in practice.<ref>{{Cite web \|date=2008 \|title=Chronology of Burma's Constitutional Process \|url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/2008/burma0508/burma0508chronology.pdf \|website=Human Rights Watch}}</ref> Other influences of the socialist Yugoslav constitution were the sections establishing a welfare state and codifying a heavily centralised government.<ref name=":1" />▼ {{Wikisource\|Constitution of the Union of Burma\|1947 Constitution}} The 1947 constitution was suspended when the Myanmar military seized power and formed the [[Union Revolutionary Council\|Revolutionary Council of the Union of Burma]], led by general [[Ne Win]].<ref name=":1" /> ===~~1947~~1974 ~~Constitution~~constitution=== ~~Approved~~The 1974 constitution, officially the '''Constitution of the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma''' ({{lang\|my\|ပြည်ထောင်စုဆိုရှယ်လစ်သမ္မတမြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော် ဖွဲ့စည်းပုံအခြေခံဥပဒေ}}), was the second constitution to be written, was approved in a [[1973 Burmese constitutional referendum\|1973 referendum]], ~~the 1974 constitution~~and was ~~the~~adopted ~~second~~on ~~constitution~~3 toJanuary ~~be written~~1974. It created a [[unicameral]] legislature called the [[People's Assembly (Burma)\|People's Assembly]] (Pyithu Hluttaw), represented by members of the [[Burma Socialist Programme Party]] (BSPP) as the only legal party.<ref name="bsppconst">[http://www.blc-burma.org/pdf/Constitution/1974%20Constitution.pdf The Constitution of the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma] {{Webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727111001/http://www.blc-burma.org/pdf/Constitution/1974%20Constitution.pdf \|date=27 July 2011 }} (1974), Chapter IV: Pyithu Hluttaw</ref> Each term was 4 years.<ref name="autogenerated1" /> [[Ne Win]] became the president at this time.▼ ▲The 1947 constitution was drafted by [[Chan Htoon]] and was used from the country's independence in 1948 to 1962, when the constitution was suspended by the socialist [[Union Revolutionary Council]], led by military general [[Ne Win]]. The national government consisted of three branches: [[Judicial branch\|judicial]], [[Legislative branch\|legislative]] and [[Executive branch\|executive]]. The legislative branch was a [[bicameral legislature]] called the [[Union Parliament]], consisting of two chambers, the 125-seat [[Chamber of Nationalities]] ({{my\|လူမျိုးစုလွှတ်တော်}} ''Lumyozu Hluttaw'') and the [[Chamber of Deputies (Myanmar)\|Chamber of Deputies]] ({{my\|ပြည်သူ့လွှတ်တော်}} ''Pyithu Hluttaw''), whose seat numbers were determined by the population size of respective constituencies.<ref>[http://www.blc-burma.org/html/Constitution/1947.html The Constitution of the Union of Burma] {{Webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630025838/http://www.blc-burma.org/html/Constitution/1947.html \|date=30 June 2015 }} (1947), Chapter VI: Parliament</ref><ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite news\| url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKBKK26169420080209 \| work=Reuters \| title=TIMELINE - Myanmar's slow road to a new constitution \| date=9 February 2008}}</ref> The 1947 constitution was largely based on the [[1946 Yugoslav Constitution]], as several Burmese officials visited [[Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia\|Yugoslavia]] earlier that year.<ref>DASMIP, PA, 1947, f-124, 425154, Zabeleska o razgovoru druga Price sa predstavnikom burmanske vlade Maung Ohn, dana 5 decembra 1947 godine [Minutes of conversation between comrade Prica and the representative of the Burmese Government Maung Ohn, December 5th 1947]. F. S. V. Donnison, Burma (London: Ernest Benn Limited, 1970), p. 141.</ref> According to [[David I. Steinberg]], this constitution was modelled after the constitutions of the [[Eastern Bloc]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book \|last=Steinberg \|first=David I. \|url=https://www.cgdev.org/sites/default/files/archive/doc/shortofthegoal/chap7.pdf \|title=Short of the goal : U.S. policy and poorly performing states. \|publisher=Center for Global Development \|year=2006 \|isbn=9781933286051 \|editor-last=Birdsall \|editor-first=Nancy \|location=Washington D. C. \|pages=209–244 \|chapter=Burma-Myanmar: The U.S.-Burmese Relationship and Its Vicissitudes \|editor-last2=Vaishnav \|editor-first2=Milan \|editor-last3=Ayres \|editor-first3=Robert L.}}</ref>{{Rp\|page=210}} Gone was the language of federation found in the 1947 constitution. In its place, the 1974 constitution codified a unitary, centralized state, under the complete control of the military, through the BSPP. "Even the modest autonomy previously granted the minorities was rescinded. The periphery was without effective voice. Although 'elected' representatives were obligated to return to their constituencies to learn the problems of their electorate, the system did not work, as fear fear prevented criticism of the military hierarchy and its policies and programs."<ref name=":0" />{{Rp\|page=211}}{{Wikisource\|Constitution of the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma\|1974 Constitution}} ~~===1974 Constitution===~~ ▲Approved in a [[1973 Burmese constitutional referendum\|1973 referendum]], the 1974 constitution was the second constitution to be written. It created a [[unicameral]] legislature called the [[People's Assembly (Burma)\|People's Assembly]] (Pyithu Hluttaw), represented by members of the [[Burma Socialist Programme Party]].<ref name="bsppconst">[http://www.blc-burma.org/pdf/Constitution/1974%20Constitution.pdf The Constitution of the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma] {{Webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727111001/http://www.blc-burma.org/pdf/Constitution/1974%20Constitution.pdf \|date=27 July 2011 }} (1974), Chapter IV: Pyithu Hluttaw</ref> Each term was 4 years.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> [[Ne Win]] became the president at this time. ===1988–2008=== Upon taking power in September 1988, the military, ~~based~~under the guise of the [[State Peace and Development Council\|State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC)]] suspended the 1974 constitution.<ref>Liddell, Zunetta (1997) "No Room to Move: Legal Constraints on Civil Society in Burma" (conference paper) 'Strengthening Civil Society in Burma. Possibilities and Dilemmas for International NGOs', Transnational Institute and the Burma Centrum Nederland, Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam, from ''Burma Library'', last accessed 5 October 2010</ref><ref name="Mydans">Mydans, Seth (4 September 2007) [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/04/world/asia/04myanmar.html "Myanmar Constitution Guidelines Ensure Military Power"] {{Webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170824010123/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/04/world/asia/04myanmar.html \|date=24 August 2017 }} ''The New York Times'', last accessed 5 October 2010</ref> In 1990 they issued a declaration that a new constitution should be drawn up. However, many viewed their abuse of the constitution-making process as simply a delaying tactic to remain in power.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp\|page=398}} The SLORC called a constitutional convention in 1993, but it was suspended in 1996 when the [[National League for Democracy]] (NLD) boycotted it, calling it undemocratic.<ref name="Mydans" /> The constitutional convention was again called in 2004, but without the [[National League for Democracy\|NLD]].<ref name="Mydans" /> Myanmar remained without a constitution until 2008.<ref name="Mydans" /> ==2008 ~~Constitution~~constitution== {{main\|2008 Constitution of Myanmar}} {{Wikisource\|Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar\|2008 Constitution}} On 9 April 2008, the military government of [[Myanmar]] (Burma) released its proposed [[constitution]] for the country to be put to a vote in public referendum on 10 May 2008, as part of its [[roadmap to democracy]]. The constitution is hailed by the [[Tatmadaw\|military]] as heralding a return to democracy, but the opposition sees it as a tool for continuing military control of the country. The legislative branch is the [[Assembly of the Union]] ({{lang\|my\|ပြည်ထောင်စုလွှတ်တော်}}) ''Pyidaungsu Hluttaw'', which is a bicameral legislature consisting of the 440-seat [[House of Representatives (Myanmar)\|House of Representatives]] and the 224-seat [[House of Nationalities]]. Military (''Tatmadaw'') member delegates are reserved a maximum of 56 of 224 seats in the National Assembly and 110 seats of 440 in the People's Assembly.<ref name="bbc_new_const">{{cite news\|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7338815.stm\|title=New Burma constitution published\|work=[[BBC News]]\|date=9 April 2008\|access-date=10 May 2008\|archive-date=21 April 2021\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421205526/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7338815.stm\|url-status=live}}</ref> This is similar to former Indonesian and Thai constitution.{{Citation needed\|date=November 2009}} The revisions in state structure, including the creation of self-administering areas were not implemented until August 2010.<ref>''Xinhua'' Staff(21 August 2010) [http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/7112811.html "Myanmar re-designates areas under new constitution ahead of election"] {{Webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528023411/http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/7112811.html \|date=28 May 2013 }} ''People's Daily Online'', last accessed 5 October 2010</ref> The constitution itself came into force on 31 January 2011.<ref name="ct"/> At the time of its release, foreign media often incorrectly alleged that the constitution barred [[Aung San Suu Kyi]] from holding public office because of her marriage to a [[Michael Aris\|British citizen]];<ref name="bbc_new_const"/> in fact, she would only be barred from the [[President of Myanmar\|office of President]], under the disqualification of those who have a spouse or children who are foreign citizens. There is no similar disqualification for any other public office. Line 47: {{Further\|2008 Myanmar constitutional referendum}} On 10 May 2008<ref>Ossenova, Katerina (9 April 2008) [http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2008/04/myanmar-constitution-referendum-set-for.php "Paper Chase Newsburst: Myanmar constitution referendum set for May 10"] {{Webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411174326/http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2008/04/myanmar-constitution-referendum-set-for.php \|date=11 April 2008 }} ''Jurist: Legal News and Research'', last accessed 5 October 2010</ref> a referendum was held to outline the political framework of the country. According to Chief Justice [[Aung Toe]], ~~who is~~ chairman of the drafting commission, {{~~Quote~~Blockquote\|In drafting the constitution, the commission adhered strictly to the six objectives, including giving the Tatmadaw (the military) the leading political role in the future state.<ref>{{cite news \| url=https://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSBKK10184120080219 \| work=Reuters \| title=New Myanmar constitution gives military leading role \| date=19 February 2008 \| access-date=2 July 2017 \| archive-date=18 January 2021 \| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118093008/https://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSBKK10184120080219 \| url-status=live }}</ref>}} The government did not allow [[Cyclone Nargis]] to delay the referendum which took place as scheduled except in the [[Ayeyarwady Division\|delta]] areas affected by the cyclone.<ref>{{cite news \| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7393857.stm \| work=BBC News \| title=Burma referendum goes ahead \| date=10 May 2008 \| access-date=30 April 2010 \| archive-date=11 May 2011 \| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511190628/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7393857.stm \| url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news \| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7393648.stm \| work=BBC News \| title=Burmese voice anger on poll day \| date=10 May 2008 \| access-date=30 April 2010 \| archive-date=14 April 2010 \| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100414034526/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7393648.stm \| url-status=live }}</ref> The [[National League for Democracy]], which is led by Aung San Suu Kyi, was not allowed to participate in the creation of the constitution,<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar/dissidents-line-up-to-fight-myanmar-constitution-idUSBKK2271420080211\|title=Dissidents line up to fight Myanmar constitution\|date=11 February 2008\|access-date=16 January 2018\|website=Reuters.com\|archive-date=17 January 2018\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117131138/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar/dissidents-line-up-to-fight-myanmar-constitution-idUSBKK2271420080211\|url-status=live}}</ref> and urged citizens to reject<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2008/05/upcoming-myanmar-constitutional.php\|title=JURIST - Paper Chase: Upcoming Myanmar constitutional referendum 'sham': HRW<!-- Bot generated title -->\|website=Jurist.law.pitt.edu\|access-date=16 January 2018\|archive-date=7 January 2014\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107113904/http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2008/05/upcoming-myanmar-constitutional.php\|url-status=live}}</ref> the constitution which it labelled as a "sham." The referendum itself passed the 2008 Constitution,<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs5/NLM2008-05-30-text.pdf\|title=Myanmar Announcement No. 7/2008\|website=Burmalibrary.org\|access-date=16 January 2018\|archive-date=3 March 2016\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303185241/http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs5/NLM2008-05-30-text.pdf\|url-status=live}}</ref> but was generally regarded as fraudulent by the opposition party and those outside of Burma.<ref>Martin, Michael F. (29 April 2010) ["Burma’s 2010 Elections: Implications of the New Constitution and Election Laws"] United States Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, last accessed 5 October 2010</ref> {{~~Quote~~Blockquote\|The SPDC reported a heavy turnout on both dates, with few voting irregularities. Opposition groups say the turnout was comparatively light, with many reported cases of voting irregularities, such as premarked ballots, voter intimidation, and other techniques to influence the outcome of the referendum.<ref>Martin, Michael F. (29 April 2010) ["Burma’s 2010 Elections: Implications of the New Constitution and Election Laws"] United States Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, page 4, citing Watson, Roland (26 March 2010) [http://www.dictatorwatch.org/prpolicedefector.html "Intelligence from Burma Police Defector"] {{Webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100926023522/http://dictatorwatch.org/prpolicedefector.html \|date=26 September 2010 }} ''Dictator Watch''</ref>}} ===2012 by-elections=== Line 60: ===Content of Constitution=== The Myanmar Constitution has 15 chapters. Chapters 4, 5, and 6 concern the separation of powers between the legislature, judiciary, and executive. Due to over 50 years of military rule, the Constitution of Myanmar is dominated by the military, with 25% of the seats in both houses of the [[Assembly of the Union]] (''Pyidaungsu Hluttaw'') reserved for military representatives. Proposed changes to most parts of the constitution must be approved by more than 75% of both houses of the Assembly of the Union. For some others it must do so then go to a referendum. When the referendum is held, the changes must be approved by at least 50% of the registered voters, rather than 50% of those voting.<ref>[http://www.irrawaddy.org/burma/constitutional-amendments-election-shwe-mann.html No Constitutional Amendments Before Election: Shwe Mann] {{Webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141230110000/http://www.irrawaddy.org/burma/constitutional-amendments-election-shwe-mann.html \|date=30 December 2014 }} The Irrawaddy, 18 November 2014</ref> A 194-page booklet containing the text in Burmese and English is available to download. ====Type of content==== * Preamble # Basic Principles of the Union # State Structure # Head of State # Legislature # Executive # Judiciary # Defence Services # Citizen, Fundamental Rights and Duties of the Citizens # Election # Political Parties # Provisions on State of Emergency # Amendment of the Constitution # State Flag, State Seal, National Anthem and the Capital # Transitory Provisions # General Provisions Line 97: [[Category:1974 in law]] [[Category:2008 in law]] [[Category:~~Burmese~~Law ~~law~~of Myanmar]] [[Category:Constitutions by country\|Myanmar]]