CNI News

11 August 2025

After elections were held, because there were not necessary number of representatives, if the second session of Hluttaw was called, current rulers of the country may lose their dignity, Chairman of the Tai Leng (Shanni) Nationalities Development Party (TNDP), Sai Htay Aung told CNI News. 

Therefore, he said, those currently ruling the country would have to try to meet the necessary number of candidates in the upcoming election.

“In the current political situation, in my opinion, they will try to meet the necessary number of candidates in the upcoming election.. Only when there are enough representatives, the Hluttaw can be called. If the Hluttaw was to be called for the second time, current rulers of the country may lose their dignity. So, they will try to meet the necessary number of candidates, I think. According to the constitution, the Tatmadaw has taken 25 percent of all the seats in the Hluttaw. If more than half of the representatives attend, it will have a quorum. Elections must be held for more than half of the representatives. I think they can do that. Because they have announced that they will hold elections in the 267 townships, it is more than half." said Sai Htay Aung.

The first meeting of the Pyidaungzu Hluttaw after the election must have 664 representatives, but under the 2008 Constitution, a quorum is reached if more than half of the representatives attend.

For the first Hluttaw session to be held, 50 percent of the representatives are required, and 25 percent of the representatives are military personnel. If the remaining 25 percent of the representatives are present, it will reach a quorum and the Hluttaw can be held.

While the number of candidates is being shown

The election to be held by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is just nominal, and since 25 percent of the representatives are military members, the Hluttaw can be held by any means, U Khun Sai, who is involved in the peace process, told CNI News.

“The election is nominal. Because when the Hluttaw convenes for the first time, more than half of the Hluttaw members must be present. If less than over half, a second meeting must be called. In the second meeting,  If 1/3 of the members are present, it reaches a quorum. Currently, 25 percent of the members are from the military, so, only 8 percent of the civilian Hluttaw members is just needed to reach a quorum. So, Hluttaw can be called by any means. There is criticism that a quorum could have been automatically established to convene the Hluttaw even though there was no election," he said.

In Myanmar, on February 1, 2021, the National League for Democracy (NLD) government was ousted by the Myanmar Tatmadaw and a state of emergency was declared, claiming that the NLD was attempting to form a government without resolving the 2020 general election voter list dispute.

Then, the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, the Amyotha Hluttaw, and the Pyithu Hluttaw were unable to convene and have remained suspended to this day.