Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy not only trounced the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party in Myanmar’s 8 November elections.

The NLD’s ‘red wave’ also displaced many ethnic parties that were expected to poll well.

In this New Mandala ‘Inquirer’ paper, Adam Burke examines why ethnic parties fared so poorly in the vote. He offers seven key reasons.

In addition, he looks at where ethnic parties enjoyed local success, mainly in Rakhine State, and what implications this may have for Myanmar’s new government and political future.

Read and download the full paper here or by clicking on the cover below.

You can read a shorter version of Adam Burke’s paper here, and a complementary piece on the past, present and possible future of Myanmar’s ethnic parties by Richard Dolan here.

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