Published: April 22, 2012 at 12:06 PM ET
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Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party wants to see the
constitution changed because it enshrines military power and came into
force in 2008 during an era of iron-fisted army rule.
The absence from parliament of Suu Kyi and 42 other elected lawmakers
who won historic April 1 by-elections was expected. The party had
already said it would not attend the assembly session until the issue is
resolved.
Suu Kyi's party wants phrasing in the lawmakers' oath changed from
"safeguard the constitution" to "respect the constitution."
Opposition lawmaker Ohn Kyaing confirmed the opposition's refusal to
attend. But he said he believed the issue would be overcome quickly
because there was support within President Thein Sein's administration
to change the oath.
Party officials have played down the problem, saying they still expect
the lawmakers to attend the assembly, possibly this week or next.
The oath is in an appendix to the constitution, and it is unclear
whether it can be changed without the approval of 75 percent of
parliament.
The constitution automatically allocates 25 percent of the parliamentary
seats to unelected representatives of the military, and Suu Kyi's party
maintains that is undemocratic.
The document also bars people from the nation's presidency if they or
any of their relatives are foreign citizens; that effectively prevents
Suu Kyi from ascending to the presidency because she married a British
national, Michael Aris, who died in 1999, and their two children were
born abroad and do not live in Myanmar.
Thein Sein has overseen a wave of political reforms since taking office a
year ago, and analysts say his administration needs the opposition in
parliament to gain international legitimacy.
The by-election's outcome, in which the opposition won almost all of the
45 seats up for grabs, was considered a major step toward
reconciliation after decades of military rule in Myanmar.
Wooing Suu Kyi's party to rejoin politics after it boycotted the 2010
election was a key turning point in the government's campaign for
Western economic sanctions imposed during military rule to be lifted.
COPY : http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/
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