national
convention convened in 1993 to draft a new constitution but
collapsed in 1996; reconvened in 2004 but does not include
participation of democratic opposition

Legal system:
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council
(SPDC) Sr. Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992)
head of government: Prime Minister, Gen SOE WIN (since 19 October
2004)
cabinet: Cabinet is overseen by SPDC; military junta, so named 15
November 1997, assumed power 18 September 1988 under name State Law
and Order Restoration Council (SLORC)
elections: none

Legislative branch:
unicameral People's Assembly or Pyithu Hluttaw (485 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 27 May 1990, but Assembly never allowed by
junta to convene
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
NLD 392 (opposition), SNLD 23 (opposition), NUP 10 (pro-government),
other 60

Judicial branch:
remnants of the British-era legal system are in place, but there is
no guarantee of a fair public trial; the judiciary is not
independent of the executive

Political parties and leaders:
National League for Democracy or NLD [AUNG SHWE, chairman, AUNG SAN
SUU KYI, general secretary]; National Unity Party or NUP
(pro-regime) [TUN YE]; Shan Nationalities League for Democracy or
SNLD [HKUN HTUN OO]; and other smaller parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Ethnic Nationalities Council or ENC (based in Thailand); Federation
of Trade Unions-Burma or FTUB (exile trade union and labor
advocates); National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma or
NCGUB (self-proclaimed government in exile) ["Prime Minister" Dr.
SEIN WIN] consists of individuals, some legitimately elected to the
People's Assembly in 1990 (the group fled to a border area and
joined insurgents in December 1990 to form parallel government in
exile); Kachin Independence Organization or KIO; Karen National
Union or KNU; Karenni National People's Party or KNPP; National
Council-Union of Burma or NCUB (exile coalition of opposition
groups); several Shan factions; United Wa State Army or UWSA; Union
Solidarity and Development Association or USDA (pro-regime, a social
and political mass-member organization) [HTAY OO, general
secretary]; 88