Roundup: Myanmar heads for gov't change

Myanmar is in the transition process for forming a new government in accordance with the result of general election held on Nov. 8 last year.

Presidential election is set to take place on next Thursday with the Union Parliament designating three groups of presidential electoral college for nominating one candidate each for three vice presidents first and the one who wins the most number of votes, will take the presidency, while the remaining two be vice presidents in accordance with the constitution.

The three groups respectively represent elected House of Representatives (Lower House), House of Nationalities (Upper House) and military-nominated non-elected representatives.

So far, nominees from the three parliamentary groups for vice presidents are still not officially disclosed until next Thursday when the presidential election process starts.

As the opposition National Leagud for democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi, won in the election absolute majority of the parliamentary seats, it is fully qualified to form a new government independently under the constitution and has the right to nominate the president and two vice presidents.

Except the candidates for the three top government leader posts remain undisclosed, the NLD said it will reveal the list of the new government cabinet in days before the presidential run.

The NLD-led new government vowed to cut the number of ministries leaving 23 only from the previous 36.

Merging some ministries to one for instance, the NLD said it will not reduce the number of ministries' employees but will make use of them to reinforce other ministries in need.

The party insisted that chief ministers of all 14 regions and states are to be assigned with elected NLD parliament representatives only.

Of them, the NLD disclosed for the first time that it has initially nominated U Nyi Pu, a member of its central executive committee, to take up the post of Chief Minister of Rakhine state, Daw Nan Khin Htway as Chief Minister for Kayin state and U Pyao Min Thein as Chief Minister for Yangon region.

The reserved chief ministers along with others were received by Aung San Suu Kyi at her Nay Pyi Taw residence on Saturday.

Of the posts of new government cabinet members, the NLD said it will take up 30 to 40 percent only and the rest will come from other parties and outside experts.

Ceremonial handover of the duties of the head of state will be carried out at the parliament on March 30 after the new president and two vice presidents are produced out of presidential run.

Outgoing President U Thein Sein said he will officially transfer the state power to the new head of state at the Presidential Palace on the day after the new government is sworn in at the parliament.

Meanwhile, the newly-elected union parliament made up of House of Representatives (Lower House) and House of Nationalities (Upper House) started its first session in Nay Pyi Taw on Feb. 8 after the previous term of the parliament expires.

The first sessions of the two Houses had begun separately on Feb. 1.

The union parliament session is chaired by U Mann Win Khaing Than of the NLD who is also Speaker of the House of Nationalities (Upper House), while speaker of the House of Representatives goes to U Win Myint of the NLD also.

The parliament also formed an advisory commission to the legislative body, led by previous speaker of the House of Representatives U Shwe Mann, to cooperate in handling legal affairs and special cases. Enditem