MYANMAR-POLITICS/PARLIAMENT Myanmar parliament resumes days after dramatic ouster of Shwe Mann as ruling party leader

Record ID: 143542

  • Title: MYANMAR-POLITICS/PARLIAMENT Myanmar parliament resumes days after dramatic ouster of Shwe Mann as ruling party leader
  • Date: 18th August 2015
  • Summary: NAYPYITAW, MYANMAR, (AUGUST 18, 2015) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF PARLIAMENT BUILDING VARIOUS OF MILITARY REPRESENTATIVES WALKING VARIOUS MILITARY REPRESENTATIVES REGISTERING AT THE COUNTER SUU KYI AND NLD REPRESENTATIVES WALKING (SOUNDBITE) (Burmese) AUNG SAN SUU KYI, LEADER OF NATIONAL LEAGUE FOR DEMOCRACY PARTY, SAYING: "Although this is an internal affair of their party (USD
  • Embargoed: 2nd September 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Myanmar
  • Country: Myanmar
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA5FW5BRGNFSKY7BOVYAFZKIWNS
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Myanmar's Parliament reconvened on Tuesday (August 18) after the ouster of the head of the ruling party, Shwe Mann.
    President Thein Sein purged rival Shwe Mann and his allies from the Ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) in a dramatic fashion last week, just months before a landmark election.
    Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi said her opposition party would ally with Shwe Mann, as the country's political forces re-align in the biggest shake-up since the end of military rule.
    "Although this is an internal affair of their party (USDP), if this is going to be related with Parliament, this would be our affair," the leader of the National League for Democracy told reporters at Parliament.
    "Politics are always changing. The most important thing is to change in the right direction," she added.
    She did not detail how they would work together. As chairman of the USDP, Shwe Mann sought to build ties with Suu Kyi, which sparked suspicion among some members of the ruling party and contributed to his sacking. The USDP is made up of many former military officers.
    Security forces surrounded the USDP compound last Wednesday (August 12), locking down the building while the president's allies met party leaders to removed Shwe Mann's faction from the leadership committee.
    Shwe Mann had antagonised the military by backing Suu Kyi's campaign to reform the constitution to limit the sway of the generals over Myanmar's politics.
    Suu Kyi is banned from the presidency under a constitution drafted by the military before it handed over power in 2011. The armed forces hold a veto over any charter changes.
    Her opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) would likely garner more votes in the November election due to the changes in the USDP, she said.
    Her party was already expected to win the most seats in the November election, seen as a crucial test of the country's democratic reforms.
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