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Indirectpresidential elections were held in Myanmar on 15 March 2016, after the2015 general election. Members of theAssembly of the Union voted for the country'sPresident, and twoVice-Presidents.
The elections were the second presidential elections held under the2008 constitution.
Htin Kyaw,Myint Swe, andHenry Van Thio were elected President, First Vice-President, and Second-Vice President respectively.
Myanmar, previously known as Burma, has been under a dictatorship for the majority of its independent history. First, underNe Win and hisBurma Socialist Programme Party, and then under amilitary junta. In 2007, large scale demonstrations took place during theSaffron Revolution, which was organized by the vast monastic community of Myanmar. The revolution was suppressed, but lead to political reforms and the2008 constitution.
In the yearly 2010s, Myanmar transitioned into a state of semi-democracy, finally culminating in the2015 elections, where democracy leader DawAung San Suu Kyi becameState Counsellor, and her party theNational League for Democracy won a landslide victory.[1] This put the party in a very powerful position ahead of the presidential elections.
Under the 2008 constitution, Myanmar has a President, and two Vice-Presidents. They are elected by thePyidaungsu Hluttaw, the national legislature.
The Pyidaungsu Hluttaw consists of two chambers,Pyithu Hluttaw, andAmyotha Hluttaw. Most seats are directly elected, but a quarter of the seats in both chambers are appointed by the Tatmadaw.
| Chamber | Type | MPs |
|---|---|---|
| Pyithu Hluttaw | Directly-elected | 330 |
| Military-appointed | 110 | |
| Amyotha Hluttaw | Directly-elected | 168 |
| Military-appointed | 56 |
ThePresidential Electoral College is made up of three committees:
Each committee nominates a single candidate. The whole Pyidaungsu Hluttaw then votes, with all three nominees on the ballot together and each of the 664 MPs being entitled to one vote. The vote is asecret ballot. The candidate that receives the highest number of votes is President, the candidate with the second highest number of votes is 1st Vice-President, and the remaining candidate is 2nd Vice-President. This system guarantees the military at least one Vice-President.
The candidates were nominated on 11 March 2016.
Htin Kyaw was nominated by the committee from Pyithu Hluttaw. He was not a member of parliament.Sai Mauk Kham, incumbent 1st Vice-President, was nominated by the USDP. Thein Sein, the committee nominee in the 2011 election did not run for re-election.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Htin Kyaw | National League for Democracy | 274 | 90.43 | |
| Sai Mauk Kham (incumbent) | Union Solidarity and Development Party | 29 | 9.57 | |
| Total | 303 | 100.00 | ||
| Valid votes | 303 | 95.58 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 14 | 4.42 | ||
| Total votes | 317 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 323 | 98.14 | ||
| Source: The Irrawdday[2] | ||||
Seven Pyithu Hluttaw seats were vacant.
Henry Van Thio was nominated by the committee from Amyotha Hluttaw. He was a member of that house from theChin State's 3rd constituency. The USDP nominated formerSpeaker of the Amyotha HluttawKhin Aung Myint, who was a member of that house fromMandalay's 8th constituency. He had also served as Minister of Culture under the junta.Sai Mauk Kham, the committee's nominee in the previous election was instead nominated by the Pyithu Hluttaw.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Van Thio | National League for Democracy | 148 | 91.93 | |
| Khin Aung Myint | Union Solidarity and Development Party | 13 | 8.07 | |
| Total | 161 | 100.00 | ||
| Valid votes | 161 | 96.41 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 6 | 3.59 | ||
| Total votes | 167 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 168 | 99.40 | ||
| Source: The Irrawdday[2] | ||||
Myint Swe was nominated by the committee of military appointed members. He wasChief Minister of theYangon Region. He is a member of the USDP.Nyan Tun, incumbent 2nd Vice-President who was nominated by the Tatmadaw committee in the 2012 by-election did not run for re-election.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Myint Swe | Union Solidarity and Development Party | 166 | 100.00 | |
| Total | 166 | 100.00 | ||
| Total votes | 166 | – | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 166 | 100.00 | ||
| Source: The Irrawdday[2] | ||||
The election was held on 15 March 2016.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Htin Kyaw (elected president) | National League for Democracy | 360 | 55.21 | |
| Myint Swe (elected first vice-president) | Union Solidarity and Development Party | 213 | 32.67 | |
| Henry Van Thio (elected second vice-president) | National League for Democracy | 79 | 12.12 | |
| Total | 652 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 657 | – | ||
| Source: The Irrawdday[3] | ||||
Seven Pyithu Hluttaw seats were vacant.
The elected candidates were sworn in on 30 March 2016.
Aby-election was held for president in 2018.