"Myanmar’s ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) apparently has decided to go slow on the constitutional reform process until next year’s elections. Last month, the country’s State Counsellor and NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi in an interview to Nikkei Asian Review said her party was “not building hopes for the next election on [its] ability to bring about constitution amendments within the next year.” The military-drafted constitution was passed through a controversial referendum in 2008 when Myanmar was under the junta. Against all democratic principles, the military regime guaranteed itself a prominent role in the country’s politics and administration. Some of the provisions that privilege the military include holding 25 percent of the seats of the parliaments (Art. 14) and reserving the nomination of ministers of defence, internal security and border affairs (Art. 17 b). The right to takeover power in a state of emergency (Art. 40 c) and the setting up of the National Defence and Security Council as the most powerful body during crisis with military representatives enjoying an upper hand (Art. 201). The NLD and ethnic-based parties did not accept the constitution and boycotted the 2010 general elections. Two years later, they participated in the 2012 by-elections and again in the 2015 general elections with the confidence that the undemocratic constitution was the first step towards democratising the country and hoped to bring about change from within the system..."