NLD asks SLORC to convene Parliamen

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Subject: NLD asks SLORC to convene Parliament

29Mar96 BURMA: BURMA'S DEMOCRACY PARTY SEEKS HOUSE SESSION. 12:29 GMT  

RANGOON, March 29 (Reuter) - Burma's most popular political party, the
National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Aung San Suu Kyi, has asked the
ruling military to convene the parliament which emerged from a 1990 election
won by the NLD.
The party, in a letter written by its chairman Aung Shwe, asked the chairman
of the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) to convene the
parliament, whose existence was never recognised by the SLORc.
The NLD won more than 80 percent of the seats in the May 1990 poll.
The letter, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters on Friday, was dated
March 25. There has been no public response from the government to the NLD's
suggestion.
Meanwhile, a constitutional convention organised by the SLORC to draw up the
guidelines of a new charter, adopted on Friday sections on Burma's future
executive and judiciary.
The chairman of the meeting's convening commission, Aung Toe, said Burma
would in future have a president elected by both an upper and lower house of
parliament.
The president would have the power to appoint all ministers with the
exception of the ministers of defence, home affairs and border region
affairs, who will be nominated by the armed forces chief, Aung Toe said.
The national convention, which has met intermittently since January 1993,
adopted on Thursday rules for a future bicameral legislature despite
opposition from some delegates to military appointments in the future
parliament.
The meeting decided Burma's future House of Representatives would have 440
members, with 110 appointed by the military and 330 elected members.
A House of Nationalities would have 224 members with 56 appointed by the
military and the remaining 168 coming from Burma's 14 administrative
regions, Aung Toe said.
Both houses would have five-year terms, he added.
About 30 delegates representing five political parties objected to the
military appointments to the two houses of parliament, saying all members
should be elected.
But other delegates, virtually all 500 or so of them hand-picked by the
ruling militatry, accepted the proposal for military appointments to parliament.
Burma's military government says the convention is central to its long-term
political plans and has ordered the meeting to enshrine for the military a
"leading role" in future politics.
Government opponents have dismissed the proceedings as a "sham" and
dissident leader Suu Kyi last last year withdrew the NLD from the meeting,
saying it was unrepresentative of the wishes of the people.  
(c) Reuters Limited 1996
REUTER NEWS SERVICE
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