Parliament Votes to Postpone Planned Charter Referendum

[Lite Beer]

Parliament Votes to Postpone Planned Charter Referendum
By SAN YAMIN AUNG / THE IRRAWADDY

RANGOON — Burma’s Union Parliament voted on Wednesday to postpone a national referendum on constitutional change which was expected to be held concurrently with the national election on November 8.

The referendum concerns amending a single provision of the military-drafted charter—Article 59(d), which currently states that the president and vice-presidents should be familiar with “political, administrative, economic and military” affairs.

In late June, MPs agreed that the word “defense” should replace the current word “military.”

The Constitution requires a nationwide referendum to change certain charter provisions if they are first approved by more than 75 percent of lawmakers.

Five other proposed changes to the charter were voted down in the same ballot on June 25, with military lawmakers believed to have exercised their effective parliamentary veto to block the changes.

Read More: http://www.irrawaddy.org/burma/parliament-votes-to-postpone-planned-charter-referendum.html