ON March 2, 1962, General Ne Win, then Burma’s de facto ruler, seized absolute power by assuming the office of President of the country. It thereafter took 54 years for the country to elect a civilian head of government. It earlier took 26 years to oust the growingly unpopular Ne Win, who reduced the mineral-rich and agriculturally well-endowed country to economic stagnation, abject poverty and virtual bankruptcy. The subsequent elections in 1990 led to a sweeping victory for the National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi, the daughter of the hero the country’s independence, Gen Aung San. The army, however, remained determined to retain power. After ruling for two decades, it imposed a constitution that denied Suu Kyi the possibility of becoming the head of government. Undeterred, she led her party to a sweeping victory in the national and provincial elections last year, which guaranteed her and the NLD a predominant position in the national government and in the governance of all but two provinces in the country. (Courtesy of tribuneindia.com)
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