Toward Democratic Municipal Elections in Myanmar
Toward Democratic Municipal Elections in Myanmar
by DIPD on November 8, 2016
The landmark elections in November 2015, ushered in democratic parliamentary elections at the national level, an important stage in Myanmar’s democratic transition. At the local government level, however, considerable opportunities for electoral reform remain, as Myanmar citizens continue their struggle to re-establish democracy after a long hiatus. To respond to the democratic shortcomings in municipal/township elections, municipal governments around the country are considering a range of reforms in preparation for upcoming municipal elections.
In support of parties’ participation in municipal elections and discussion of municipal election reform, DIPD convened multiparty forums in Mandalay and Yangon. At these forums, DIPD, political parties and DIPD partners, discussed the legal framework for elections and the importance of making municipal elections genuinely participatory and democratic processes.
In Mandalay, elections took place in September, after the dialogue held in August. The Mandalay dialogue helped parties understand the amendments passed by the Mandalay Regional Parliament. It also gave them valuable information on how to participate in the electoral process. Finally, it allowed party participants to share their concerns about the forthcoming elections and what future reforms of municipal election law should be considered, including the introduction of universal suffrage and the removal of discriminatory eligibility requirements for candidates.
In Yangon, DIPD and its partners, including International IDEA and Democracy Reporting International provided comparative perspectives on best practices in conducting democratic municipal elections, to stimulate a discussion on how to amend the Yangon municipal election law and other municipal election laws countrywide. The Yangon municipal election law is currently under discussion for amendment in the Yangon regional parliament.
Through the discussion of international best practices, and exchange of ideas among the parties, the participants, which included the Chairperson and Secretary of the Bills Committee in the Yangon regional parliament, were able to assess and consider how to integrate principles including universal suffrage, fair eligibility requirements for candidates, election administration principles, and transparency. The Secretary of the Bills Committee remarked that “As a result of this forum, our amended law will be a stronger one,” indicating that the discussion had helped them to consider issues that they may have missed and also reinforced key principles for amendment.
The local organisation, Hornbill, also discussed the lessons of the recently-conducted Chin municipal/township elections. Hornbill and the New Myanmar Foundation emphasized the importance of democratizing the municipal and township elections throughout the country to achieve more effective representation and accountability in local government. Through the discussion, parties discussed the considerable challenges remaining to make local government in Myanmar more democratic, while also reaffirming the importance of core principles of democratic representation.
From: Myanmar, News and updates