EAST YANGON UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
THE 1990 GENERAL ELECTION AND THE NATIONAL
CONVENTION
Presented by
1HIR-2 - Ma Khine Thazin Win
1HIR-3 - Ma Wut Yee Moe
1HIR-4 - Ma Khat Shwe Zin Thin
15- August -2024
Contents
Introduction
1990 General Election
National Convention
Conclusion
1
The 1990 General Election and the National Convention
INTRODUCTION
Elections were held for all the seats of the new Parliament foreseen in the Electoral Law
of May 1989. General elections were previously held in October 1985. The People’s Assembly
then chosen was dissolved in September 1988.
The election date was definitely set on 6 November 1989. The multiparty polling was
the first in 30 years, since the assumption of power by the Burma Socialist Programme Party
(BSPP). The name of the country was changed from "Burma" to "Myanmar" in May 1989.
Following the events of September 1988, when the former People’s Assembly last
elected in October 1985 was dissolved, the Government announced that political organizations
other than the ruling BSPP would be permitted to function. By December 1989, 117 parties
had registered. Ultimately, some 2,300 candidates from 93 parties and 87 independents
contested 485 parliamentary seats (polling in seven others cancelled). Prominent among these
were the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), whose popular general secretary
Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi had been placed under house arrest, and the military-backed National
Unity Party (NUP), successor to the BSPP and renamed in September 1988. Besides pro-
democracy platforms by many of the contenders, a number pointed to the country’s increasing
economic problems, especially a spiraling inflation.
The three-month campaign, during which opposition candidates complained of
repression and harassment, contrasted with polling day, generally regarded as fair by observers
that included foreign journalists and diplomats. According to final results announced several
weeks after the voting, the NLD won a landslide victory, capturing approximately 60% of the
popular vote and 392 seats to a mere 10 for the NUP. Led by General Saw Maung, the ruling
State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) military junta – which had promised to
turn over power to a civilian Government after the newly elected legislature drafted a new
Constitution – conceded this outcome. As of the date of publication of this Chronicle, this new
Constitution had not yet come into being, the military remained in place and the newly elected
Assembly had yet to sit.
2
1990 General Election
General elections were held in Myanmar on 27, May, 1990, the first multi-party
elections since 1960, after which the country had been ruled by a military dictatorship. The
elections were for a parliament-sized constitutional committee to draft a new constitution.
The result was a landslide victory for Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy (NLD), which won 392 of the 492 seats. However, the military junta refused to
recognise the results and continued ruling the country until 2011. Voter turnout was 72.6%.
Background
The aftermath of the uprising in 1988 and the rise of leader Aung San Suu Kyi placed
worldwide media attention on the political situation in Myanmar. In September 1988, the State
Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC, the predecessor to the State Peace and
Development Council), in its Declaration No. 1, had set four goals for the country: to maintain
law and order, improve transportation, improve the humanitarian situation and hold multi-party
elections. It also stated that the military would not "cling to power for long". Aung San Suu
Kyi had been calling for dialogue between the SLORC and the citizens of Myanmar. In May
1989, the government reopened universities that had been involved in the uprising the previous
year. At the same time, the government conceded and a date for the election was set for May
1990 with political parties registering for the election immediately. The date, 27 May 1990,
was chosen for its auspicious nature surrounding the number 9; 27 May (2+7=9), and on the
fourth Sunday of the fifth month (4+5=9).
Parties and campaigning
93 political parties presented a total of 2,297 candidates to contest the 492
constituencies, with at least 2 candidates per constituency. Of the 93, 19 different ethnic parties
also took part in the election. The National Unity Party (NUP) was favoured by the military to
win. Aung San Suu Kyi, a popular opposition figure, ran against General Ne Win's largely
disliked associate, Sein Lein. The symbol for the NUP was a sheaf of rice stalks, and the NLD's
was a straw hat. Some people took to wearing rice stalks around their bare feet, a grave insult in
a Buddhist country.
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Although election campaigning was underway, the government placed restrictions on
opposition politicians. U Aung Gyi, a former member of the junta, was expected to lead a weak
coalition that would not challenge the interests of the army. He was imprisoned in 1988 for his
outspoken views against the regime, but criticised Aung San Suu Kyi for being a "radical
manipulated by Communists". Former Prime Minister U Nu remained under house arrest during
the election process, as was Aung San Suu Kyi since 20, July, 1989, without trial. Throughout
campaigning, the government kept its restrictions on public gatherings and political meetings,
and required all political literature to be approved by the SLORC prior to publication; however
political parties defied the ruling. Two days before the election, visas for 61 foreign journalists
were unexpectedly issued to cover the vote.
Results
The National League for Democracy (NLD) won 392 of the 492 contested seats, which
would have given it an overwhelming majority in the constitutional committee had it convened.
The National Unity Party (NUP), which was favoured by the incumbent military junta, came
second in terms of vote share with 21% of the vote and fourth in terms of seats, with only 10
seats in the chamber. The remaining seats in the chamber were won by a mixture of ethnic
parties and independents.
Aftermath
Initially, the SLORC said it would honour the results of the election. However, the
government, surprised at the outcome, later annulled the results and many candidates were
arrested or went into exile. Some later formed the National Coalition Government of the Union
of Burma. Two months after the election, the SLORC issued Order 1/90, explaining it had
legitimacy to rule as it was recognised by the United Nations and individual countries, as well
as ensuring it would prevent the break-up of the Union. It required all parties to recognise and
accept the Order, and many opposition figures who refused were arrested.
National Convention
The National Convention was a constituent assembly formed by the State Law and
Order Restoration Council of Myanmar, with the stated goal of establishing a new constitution
for the country. Dominated by representatives of the SLORC, the National Convention was
boycotted by members of the National League for Democracy and other members, who
represented both elected members of parliament and ethnic minorities.
4
The National Convention was established on 9, January, 1993 in line with Order No.
13/92 of the State Law and Order Restoration Council, which had previously outlined six
principles for the National Convention on 2, October, 1992:
1. Non-disintegration of the Union;
2. Non-disintegration of national unity;
3. Perpetuation of national sovereignty;
4. Promotion of a genuine multiparty democracy;
5. Promotion of the universal principles of justice, liberty and equality;
6. Participation by the Defence Services in a national political leadership role in the future state.
The first three were part of the Three Main National Causes, which was the SLORC's
conditions for negotiations regarding the Internal conflict in Myanmar. The SLORC dominated
the convention via 555 hand-picked delegates for various groups of society, such as the
intelligentsia, peasantry, and workers. The remaining 147 delegates comprised members of
the National League for Democracy (89), the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (6),
the pro-SLORC National Unity Party (3), and other individuals who had either been
democratically elected or represented political parties.
The National Convention was marked with disorder between members of the SLORC
and the opposition from its beginning. After only two days in session, the convention was
forced to adjourn for the first time amidst protests by the NLD and ethnic minorities. Nonetheless,
in its early period members of the National Convention were permitted to put forward proposals
which ran counter to the SLORC's aims. However, the SLORC quickly began to crack down
via restricting presentations, classifying documents, restricting public discussion of the
convention's proposals, and intimidating anti-SLORC delegates.
NLD delegate Aung Khin Sint was arrested on 15 October 1993 alongside his assistant
Than Min, and both were sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment on charges of political agitation
and sending threats to other members of the convention. Fellow delegate U Than Hla was
arrested the same year and sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment. Arrests of those critical of the
convention continued throughout the year, and lieutenant general Myo Nyunt (chairman of the
convening committee of the National Convention) reopened the body on 7, June, 1993, further
underlining the Tatmadaw's desire to remain in a leading role in a speech at the convention's
5
opening. However, by 16 September it had again been suspended amidst protests from ethnic
minority delegates against the establishment of a centralised system, as was adopted at the
convention.
In meetings throughout 1994, among other things, it was determined to allocate one-
third of all seats in the future legislature to the Tatmadaw, as well as to establish a presidential
system, with the requirement that presidential candidates "must have been a continuous
resident for more than 20 years, have political, administrative, military and economic
experience, and not have a spouse or children who are citizens of another country," according
to Human Rights Watch. These criteria eliminated opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Other
articles adopted in 1994 barred any changes to the country's territory or the territory of states
of Myanmar.
On 28, November, 1995 the convention reopened to widespread protests from the NLD,
which called on Chairman of the Work Committee Aung Toe to allow for dialogue between
the opposition and SLORC to achieve the desires of the population for democracy. After Aung
Toe did not mention the matter during his opening speech, the NLD declared a boycott. In
response, the SLORC removed the 89 NLD delegates from the convention on 30 November,
citing their absence on 29 and 30, November, 1995 as grounds for removal under sections 48
and 49 of the National Convention Procedures.
Following the expulsion of NLD delegates from the convention, state-backed media
claimed that tens of thousands attended protests organised by the ruling Union Solidarity and
Development Association in support of the expulsion, and the remaining delegates continued
to meet sporadically throughout the first three months of 1996. During this time, further
amendments on establishing a bicameral legislature with 25% of all delegates selected from
the Tatmadaw were passed, as was an amendment mandating that the Ministry of
Defence, Ministry of Home Affairs, and Ministry of Security were to be selected by the
Tatmadaw.
On 31, March, 1996 the National Convention was adjourned by the SLORC, following
the expulsion of the NLD. On 7 June of the same year, Law No 5/96 was adopted, banning
criticism of the National Convention and making such criticism punishable by long prison
sentences.
6
Re-establishment (2003–2007)
On 30, August, 2003, following the Depayin massacre a few months prior, Prime
Minister General Khin Nyunt publicly outlined the State Peace and Development Council's roadmap
to democracy, the first point of which called for the reconvening of the National Convention.
This was again confirmed by the Bangkok Process in December of the same year, with
Australia, Austria, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and the
United Nations all in support.
On 30, March, 2004 the date of the convention's reconvening was stated by U Thein
Sein, chairman of the convening commission, as 17, May, 2004. Following the convention's
coming to order, exiled activists and human rights organisation International Federation for
Human Rights criticised the convention, noting that information about the convention's
members was secret. The number of convention members was speculated as between 800 and
1,000, based on public statements made by the SPDC.
At the first conference of the convention, Ethnic Armed Organisations who had signed
ceasefires with the SPDC were given increased presence at the NLD's expense; the number of
minority delegates increased from 215 in 1993 to 633 in 2004, while the number of elected
delegates decreased to 15 with the continued absence of the NLD from negotiations. The
conferences were held in a purpose-built conference hall in Hmawbi Township.
Human Rights Watch condemned the National Convention, noting in 2008 that "Any
proposal at odds with the SPDC's own vision for its draft constitution was dismissed or
ignored." In response to the refusal of the SPDC to consider discussing proposed amendments
on ethnically based decentralisation, the New Mon State Party refused to continue participating
in discussions, downgrading its status to that of an observer.
In July 2007, the National Convention announced its final session. A last-ditch effort
by the Kachin Independence Organisation to push through 19 proposals failed, and, amidst
the Saffron Revolution, the convention concluded on 3, September, 2007. The Constitution of
Myanmar was adopted the next year via referendum.
7
Conclusion
The 1990 Myanmar general election was held on May, 27, 1990, as part of the country's
transition from military rule to a more democratic system. The election was significant because
it was the first multiparty election in Myanmar (formerly Burma) since 1960. The National
League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi, won a landslide victory, securing
392 out of 485 seats in the People's Assembly, or Pyithu Hluttaw.
However, despite this decisive win, the ruling military junta, the State Law and Order
Restoration Council (SLORC), refused to transfer power to the elected NLD government.
Instead, the military continued to rule the country and set up a National Convention to draft a
new constitution. The National Convention began in January 1993 and concluded in 1996, but
its proceedings were criticized for being controlled by the military and excluding the NLD.
The new constitution, adopted in 2008, was drafted with significant input from the
military and was designed to ensure the military's continued influence over Myanmar's political
system. This constitution has been a point of contention and debate, especially regarding its
provisions that reserve a substantial number of parliamentary seats for the military and its role
in governance.
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References
[1] Aung-Thwin, Michael; Aung-Thwin, Maitrii (2012). A History of Myanmar Since
Ancient Times: Traditions and Transformations. London: Reaktion Books. pp. 266–
267. ISBN 9781861899392.
[2] Steinberg, David (2010). Burma/Myanmar - What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford
University Press. pp. 90–93. ISBN 978-0-19-539067-4.
[3] "Myanmar: Chronology of the National Convention". Human Rights Watch. 18 July
2007. Retrieved 8 January 2024 – via ReliefWeb.
[4] Aung Naing Oo (24 August 2004). "Who Are the Delegates to the National
Convention?". The Irrawaddy. Retrieved 8 January 2024.