Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (2008)

The military engineered charter reserving a quarter of seats for itself.

Overview

Approved by referendum in May 2008 in the chaos of Cyclone Nargis, the Myanmar Constitution created a military guaranteed order, reserving 25 percent of seats in both houses for the armed forces, making amending that provision effectively impossible without military consent, and allowing the commander in chief to take power in emergencies. The National League for Democracy governed under it from 2016 until the 2021 coup, which the military justified through its constitutional mechanisms. The 2021 seizure and subsequent conflict have hollowed the charter. It stands as a textbook of constitutional coups and guaranteed tutelage.