Myanmar military retains veto after constitution change vote fails


Magnetic cards with various pictures of Aung San Suu Kyi are displayed for sale in a shop in Yangon April 5, 2015. REUTERS/Minzayar

NAYPYITAW (Reuters) - A move to amend Myanmar's constitution to remove the military's legislative veto on key decisions fell short of the required 75 percent support in parliament on Thursday, preserving the armed forces' powerful political stake.

The failure to trim the share of house votes needed to amend the constitution to 70 percent was no surprise given that unelected members of the military, which ruled Myanmar for half a century until 2011, hold a quarter of the seats.

The Star Festive Promo: Get 35% OFF Digital Access

Monthly Plan

RM 13.90/month

Best Value

Annual Plan

RM 12.33/month

RM 8.02/month

Billed as RM 96.20 for the 1st year, RM 148 thereafter.

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Next In World

Figure skating roundup: Shaidorov lands historic gold for Kazakhstan as China holds on with fifth in pairs
Rijpma-de Jong wins women's 1,500m gold at Milan-Cortina Winter Games (Updated)
Trump furious after Supreme Court upends his global tariffs, vows new 10% levy
U.S. Supreme Court rules Trump administration's sweeping tariffs illegal
1st LD Writethru: U.S. Q4 GDP growth up 1.4 pct, well below estimate
Crude futures settle mixed
U.S. dollar ticks down
First foot-and-mouth case confirmed in Cyprus gov't-controlled areas, farm sealed
Graft allegations spark clashes in Albania between police and protesters
Attackers kill at least 50, abduct women and children in Nigeria's Zamfara state

Others Also Read