Myanmar finishes its new constitution

Army-ruled Myanmar has finished writing a new constitution, to be put to a May referendum, which gives the military the “leading political role,” official media said Tuesday.

“I hereby declare that the draft of the state constitution has been approved by this commission,” Chief Justice U Aung Toe, chairman of the military-appointed drafting commission, was quoted as saying on state radio and television.

He said the commission had followed the basic principles adopted last year by a national convention, also appointed by the military, which took about 15 years to complete its work. The guidelines used to draft the new charter also bar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from national office because she was married to a foreigner -- her late British husband, Michael Aris.

The armed forces have ruled Myanmar, also known as Burma, since 1962. State media reports suggest that the army commander-in-chief will be the most powerful figure in the country, able to appoint key ministers and assume power “in times of emergency.”

It also gives the military a quarter of the seats in parliament and a veto over decisions made by legislators.

The opposition National League for Democracy, which won a 1990 election only to be denied power by the military, said the charter would “worsen the political, economic and social crises being faced in the country.”