Parliamentary committee blocks Suu Kyi's presidential hopes
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Panel retains charter section preventing anyone married to a foreigner from becoming president
A parliamentary committee reportedly voted against a change in a constitutional clause that bars opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from running for president, according to two of its members who requested anonymity.
They said that the committee opted to retain the section that prevents anyone married to a foreigner or with children of foreign citizenship from becoming head of state.
The panel, tasked to implement amendments of the 2008 Constitution, voted not to amend Section 59, which outlines the qualifications of presidential candidates.
The committee comprises 14 MPs from the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), seven military MPs, two from the National League for Democracy (NLD) party, and one each from other small parties, totalling 31.
Aye Maung, a member of the Constitutional Amendment Imple-mentation Committee declined to confirm the report.
Failure to change the Section dashes Suu Kyi’s hope to become Myanmar’s president next year.
The two sources did not say why the proposal was rejected, but said the vote against it was by 26 of the 31 panellists.
Most experts believe the clause, 59 (f), was written into the military-drafted 2008 constitution specifically to sideline Suu Kyi, who became a global icon for her fight against military rule, most of it from house arrest.
Her late husband was British, as are her two sons.
“Only five of the 31 committee members voted in favour of amending the section at the closed door meeting of the committee,” said one of the sources.
Suu Kyi and the NLD have been pushing for constitutional change ahead of next year's election, mainly to reduce the political clout of the military, which ruled Myanmar for 49 years until a nominally civilian government led by retired generals took office in 2011.
The USDP has 14 people on the panel and seven members are serving military officers appointed as lawmakers as part of a 25 per cent legislative quota allocated to the armed forces, a clause the NLD, which suffered persecution by the former regime, wants to change.
Myanmar lawmakers are assessing changes to the constitution ahead of next year's parliamentary election.
A vote in the bicameral legislature to change the constitution to allow Suu Kyi to become president is still possible, although political analysts say it is extremely unlikely it would be passed because the military and its USDP allies dominate parliament.
Her party, however, said the battle was not over yet.
“We can't say Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has no chance of becoming the president until the union parliament approves it,” said spokesman and senior party official Nyan Win. "We need to wait till the committee submits its final suggestions at the parliament."
Myanmar's constitution was crafted by the former junta as the basis for the country's gradual transition to democracy.
The semi-civilian government has surprised the world with reforms that were unthinkable under direct army control and managed to convince Suu Kyi and the NLD to join parliament.
The United States suspended most sanctions in recognition of Myanmar's sweeping changes, but still regards the constitution as undemocratic.
In January, the US Congress passed a spending bill that requires further reform, including a revised constitution, as a prerequisite for the complete removal of sanctions.
