ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the legislature of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar from 2010–2020. Under the military-imposed 2008 Constitution, Myanmar effectively had a tricameral legislature. The ostensibly bicameral legislature (Pyidaungsu Hluttaw or Assembly of the Union) contained the Pyithu Hluttaw, the lower house (House of Representatives), and the Amyotha Hluttaw, the upper house (House of Nationalities). However, the Assembly of the Union regularly sat as a joint chamber, which not only legislated as a single body but also comprised committees of members from both houses. Following the coup d'état on 1 February 2021, the Assembly of the Union was dissolved by the military-appointed President Myint Swe. The newly formed State Administration Council (SAC) under the leadership of Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Services Min Aung Hlaing has declared a state of emergency. In this period, all legislative powers of the Assembly of the Union have been transferred to the commander-in-chief. It is, however, highly unlikely that the SAC will reinstate the Assembly of the Union in its previous form or initiate any democratic policies.
