Virtual Event – The 2020 Elections in Myanmar: A Conversation with Ambassador Mark McDowell
Event: Thursday, November 12, 2020, Washington, DC
9:00 am – 10:00 am ET (Washington DC)
8:30 pm – 9:30 pm MMT (Myanmar)
Voters in Myanmar cast their ballots in a national parliamentary election on November 8. This election was seen as a referendum on Aung San Sun Kyi and her ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party achievements amid an economic crisis caused by Covid-19 and an exercise in campaigning during a global pandemic. But a “first-past-the-post” electoral system and a concentration of seats in the central part of the country means ethnic minority representation will remain limited. Over the past five years, the NLD has struggled to deliver on its pledges to end violence and enact land and social welfare reforms in minority areas. Armed conflicts in Rakhine State and elsewhere in Myanmar have led to poll cancellations in all or parts of 56 townships disenfranchising more than 1.5 million people. What does this all portend for Myanmar’s democratic future?
Featuring
Ambassador Mark McDowell, Country Representative, Myanmar, The Asia Foundation
Moderator
John Brandon, Senior Director, International Relations, The Asia Foundation
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