Myanmar: Opposition Is Dealt a Blow

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/14/world/asia/myanmar-opposition-is-dealt-a-blow.html

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A parliamentary committee has voted against changing a clause in Myanmar’s Constitution that bars the opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from becoming president. The clause bars anyone whose spouse or children are loyal to foreign countries from becoming president or vice president. Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi’s husband, who died in 1999, was British, and their two sons are British citizens. Twenty-six of the 31 members of the committee responsible for reviewing the constitutional clause voted against amending it, said a member of the committee. The full Parliament will make a final decision, but it is likely to accept the recommendation. The committee members who rejected the amendment are lawmakers from the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party and the military, which hold an overwhelming majority of the legislative seats. The next general election is in 2015.