Burma: Government#
| Country name | conventional long form: Union of Burma conventional short form: Burma local long form: Pyidaungzu Thammada Myanma Naingngandaw (translated as the Republic of the Union of Myanmar) local short form: Myanma Naingngandaw former: Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma, Union of Myanmar etymology: both "Burma" and "Myanmar" derive from the name of the majority Burmese Bamar ethnic group note: since 1989 the military authorities in Burma and the current parliamentary government have promoted the name Myanmar as a conventional name for their state; the US Government has not adopted the name |
|---|---|
| Government type | parliamentary republic |
| Capital | Rangoon (Yangon); note - Nay Pyi Taw is the administrative capital
Rangoon (Yangon), note - Nay Pyi Taw is the administrative capital
geographic coordinates: 16 48 N, 96 09 E time difference: UTC+6.5 (11.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions | 7 regions (taing-myar, singular - taing), 7 states (pyi ne-myar, singular - pyi ne), 1 union territoryregions: Ayeyawady (Irrawaddy), Bago, Magway, Mandalay, Sagaing, Taninthayi, Yangon (Rangoon) states: Chin, Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Mon, Rakhine (Arakan), Shan union territory: Nay Pyi Taw |
| Independence | 4 January 1948 (from the UK) |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 4 January (1948); Union Day, 12 February (1947) |
| Constitution | previous 1947, 1974 (suspended until 2008); latest approved by referendum 29 May 2008 (2016) |
| Legal system | mixed legal system of English common law (as introduced in codifications designed for colonial India) and customary law |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: both parents must be citizens of Burma dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: none note: an applicant for naturalization must be the child or spouse of a citizen |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: President HTIN KYAW (since 30 March 2016); Vice Presidents MYINT SWE (since 30 March 2016) and HENRY VAN THIO (since 30 March 2016); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President HTIN KYAW (since 30 March 2016); Vice Presidents MYINT SWE (since 30 March 2016) and HENRY VAN THIO (since 30 March 2016) state counsellor: State Counselor AUNG SAN SUU KYI (since 6 April 2016); she concurrently serves as minister of foreign affairs and minister for the office of the president cabinet: Cabinet appointments shared by the president and the commander-in-chief elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by simple majority vote by the full Assembly of the Union from among 3 vice-presidential candidates nominated by the Presidential Electoral College (consists of members of the lower and upper houses and military members); the other 2 candidates become vice-presidents (president elected for a 5-year term); election last held on 15 March 2016 (next to be held in 2021) election results: HTIN KYAW elected president; Assembly of the Union vote: HTIN KYAW 360, MYINT SWE 213, HENRY VAN THIO 79 (652 votes cast) note: a parliamentary bill creating the position of "state counselor" was signed into law by President HTIN KYAW on 6 April 2016; a state counsellor serves the equivalent term of the president and is similar to a prime minister in that the holder acts as a link between the parliament and the executive branch |
| Legislative branch | description: bicameral Assembly of the Union or Pyidaungsu consists of an upper house - the House of Nationalities or Amyotha Hluttaw, (224 seats; 168 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote with a second round if needed and 56 appointed by the military; members serve 5-year terms) and a lower house - the House of Representatives or Pyithu Hluttaw, (440 seats; 330 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 110 appointed by the military; members serve 5-year terms) elections: last held on 8 November 2015 (next to be held in 2020) election results: Upper House - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NLD 135, USDP 11, ANP 10, SNLD 3, ZCD 2, TNP 2, independent 2, other 3, military appointees 56; Lower House - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NLD 255, USDP 30, ANP 12, SNLD 12, PNO 3, TNP 3, ZCD 2, LNDP 2, independent 1, other 3, canceled due to insurgence 7, military appointees 110 |
| Judicial branch | highest court(s): Supreme Court of the Union (consists of the chief justice and 7-11 judges) judge selection and term of office: chief justice and judges nominated by the president, with approval of the Lower House, and appointed by the president; judges normally serve until mandatory retirement at age 70 subordinate courts: High Courts of the Region; High Courts of the State; Court of the Self-Administered Division; Court of the Self-Administered Zone; district and township courts; special courts (for juvenile, municipal, and traffic offenses); courts martial |
| Political parties and leaders | All Mon Region Democracy Party or AMRDP (NAING NGWE THEIN) Arakan National Party or ANP (Dr. AYE MAUNG) (formed from the 2013 merger of the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party and the Arakan League for Democracy) National Democratic Force or NDF (KHIN MAUNG SWE) National League for Democracy or NLD (AUNG SAN SUU KYI) National Unity Party or NUP (THAN TIN) Pa-O National Organization or PNO (AUNG KHAN HTI) Shan Nationalities Democratic Party or SNDP (SAI AIK PAUNG) Shan Nationalities League for Democracy or SNLD (KHUN HTUN OO) Ta'ang National Party or TNP (AIK MONE) Union Solidarity and Development Party or USDP (THAN HTAY) Zomi Congress for Democracy or ZCD (PU CIN SIAN THANG) numerous smaller parties |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | Thai border: Ethnic Nationalities Council or ENC Federation of Trade Unions-Burma or FTUB (exile trade union and labor advocates) United Nationalities Federal Council or UNFC inside Burma: Kachin Independence Organization Karen National Union or KNU Karenni National People's Party or KNPP United Wa State Army or UWSA 88 Generation Students (pro-democracy movement) several other Chin, Karen, Mon, and Shan factions note: many restrictions on freedom of expression have been relaxed by the government; a limited number of political groups, other than parties, are approved by the government |
| International organization participation | ADB, ARF, ASEAN, BIMSTEC, CP, EAS, EITI (candidate country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), NAM, OPCW (signatory), SAARC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador AUNG LYNN (since 16 September 2016) chancery: 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (1) (202) 332-3344 FAX: (1) (202) 332-4351 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Scot MARCIEL (since 27 April 2016) embassy: 110 University Avenue, Kamayut Township, Rangoon mailing address: Box B, APO AP 96546 telephone: (95) (1) 536-509, 535-756, 538-038 FAX: (95) (1) 650-480 |
| Flag description | design consists of three equal horizontal stripes of yellow (top), green, and red; centered on the green band is a large white five-pointed star that partially overlaps onto the adjacent colored stripes; the design revives the triband colors used by Burma from 1943-45, during the Japanese occupation |
| National symbol(s) | chinthe (mythical lion); national colors: yellow, green, red, white |
| National anthem | name: "Kaba Ma Kyei" (Till the End of the World, Myanmar) lyrics/music: SAYA TIN note: adopted 1948; Burma is among a handful of non-European nations that have anthems rooted in indigenous traditions; the beginning portion of the anthem is a traditional Burmese anthem before transitioning into a Western-style orchestrated work |