Dossier: Elections in Myanmar

On 8 November 2015, a new Parliament will be elected after decades of military rule in Myanmar. The elections will decide how the reform process of the past five years will be continued and whether the people of Myanmar can benefit. This dossier will accompany the next months until a new government is formed by offering policy and economic analysis.

After the elections

What are the prospects for the next Myanmar government?

Peace, federalism, development, and poverty - this is the interlinked "cluster", which has to be at the top of the NLD’s agenda. On Aung San Suu Kyi's political challenges in the coming years.

By Khin Zaw Win

Myanmar: A democratic landslide

Myanmar has a decades-long history of brutal ethnic conflicts. In view of this the party of democratic struggle did unexpectedly well in last year’s election.

By Nicholas Farrelly

Myanmar needs more than a new government

The people of Myanmar have collectively placed their faith in the NLD. The party will have to go on - even beyond Aung San Suu Kyi’s lifetime. A commentary.

By Khin Zaw Win

Podcast

Overview

A Primer on Myanmar’s Elections of 2015

What is at stake? Will the elections be free? Who is competing and how does the electoral process work? Our FAQ on the most democratic elections since 1960 in Myanmar.

By Khin Zaw Win

Comment

Myanmar Elections: Coups, Competition, and Compromise

Myanmar and its power elites do not have experience with electoral politics. That makes Myanmar’s elections exciting, and at the same time risky.

By Zeya Thu

Video

DVB TV is an independent broadcaster with offices in Yangon, Mandalay, and Chiang Mai. For the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung they have made a short movie about the upcoming elections in Myanmar.

Interview

"The NLD will win the elections"

On November 8, Myanmar votes for a new parliament. What do the parties stand for and what can they change? An interview with Sui Khar, Joint Secretary-General of the Chin National Front.

By Rual Lian Thang, Dr Sui Khar

Study

The State of Myanmar’s Reforms on the Eve of the 2015 Elections

Myanmar prepares for the second nation-wide poll in 25 years. The elections in November 2015 promise to be a watershed for the country’s democratisation.

By Marco Bünte

pictures

Elections in Myanmar

Authoritarian Turn and Human Rights Crisis in the Philippines

Background

Since winning the presidency in 2016, Rodrigo Duterte’s regime has enacted policies of fear and repression that have eroded democratic norms and endorsed violations of fundamental rights.

By Joshua Makalintal

Section 377 is scrapped! Sexual Minorities become full citizens of India

Shubha Chacko is a prominent LGBTQ activist from India. On the occasion of the landmark Supreme Court judgment decriminalizing a portion of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, she writes on the long fight against section 377, the challenges ahead and what it means for the society at large.

By Shubha Chacko

Last to escape, first to disarm? Three scenarios of peace and war on the Korean Peninsula

Outlook

In 2018, political relations on the Korean peninsula are in flux to an unprecedented degree. Taking note of the unclear situation, this article deliberately engages in speculation and develops three scenarios for the region.

By Ulrich Kühn

Promoting Peace on the Korean Peninsula: Departure Points for Europe

Commentary

The EU or its member states have ideal requisites for greater involvement in a necessary peace process between North and South Korea.

By Bernt Berger

If US-North Korea talks fail, nuclear proliferation in Northeast Asia may escalate

Analysis

After several years of fast acceleration in North Korea's missile and nuclear program, this year the Democratic People's Republic of Korea put on the brakes, pursuing instead a “charm offensive”.

By Mark Fitzpatrick

Malaysia’s Reformasi Movement Lives Up To Its Name

A revolution took place in Malaysia on May 9, 2018. It was a silent and peaceful one, amazingly achieved through the ballot box, and is therefore not noticed for what it is. But it is a revolution nevertheless.

By Ooi Kee Beng

Introduction

Our Work in Asia

The aim of our projects in Asia is to support the democratisation of the region and promote the recognition of human rights. Our work also focuses on promoting environmental sustainability and social justice.

Events

Video: Urvashi Butalia on Women's Rights in India

Recordings

Southasian Perspecitves on the West
with Pankaj Mishra (Historian) and Nadeem Aslam (Writer) on September 12th, 2014

Dossier: Elections in Myanmar