Myanmar
formerly (until 1989) Burma
Country in SE Asia, bounded NW by India and Bangladesh, NE by
China, SE by Laos and Thailand, and SW by the Bay of Bengal.
Government
Under the 1974 constitution, suspended in 1988, Myanmar is a unitary
republic. The highest organ of state power is the 489-member people's
assembly, the Pyithu Hluttaw, elected by universal suffrage every
four years. The people's assembly elects the nation's executive,
the 30-member state council, which has a representative from each
of Myanmar's 14 states and divisions and is headed by a chair
who acts as president. It is the sole legislature and elects a
council of ministers, headed by a prime minister, in charge of
day-to-day administration.
Following a military takeover in Sept 1988, a 19-member State
Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) assumed overall control
and martial law was proclaimed. From 1993 a national convention,
including representatives of SLORC and opposition parties, met
periodically to draft a new constitution.
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