The Leaderboard: Tin Aye

The Leaderboard profiles the people behind the policies of the Asia-Pacific.Who is he?

Tin Aye is the chairman of Myanmar’s Union Election Commission (UEC) and a retired lieutenant general. A longtime military officer, Tin Aye held the position of chief of military ordnance in the previous junta government until winning a parliamentary seat in the 2010 general election. He held this position until February 2012, when he assumed the chairmanship of the UEC.

Tin Aye. Source: Wikimedia, used under a creative commons license.

Why is he in the news?

As UEC chairman, Tin Aye holds considerable sway over the monitoring of the upcoming national elections, expected to take place in November, including potential reform of the election commission, which some complain has been dominated by military officers. Tin Aye has come under pressure by activist groups to replace some members of the commission who have ties to the government and military.

Tin Aye is also responsible for overseeing a potential national referendum on constitutional amendments, which could take place before the election.

What can we expect from him?

Tin Aye has been known as a military hardliner and admitted at a voter education event last December that instability following elections later this year could prompt a military response. With international attention on Myanmar during this critical year in its reform process, Tin Aye will need to balance his desire to defend the military’s interests with a need to demonstrate his commitment to allow inclusive, transparent, and credible elections.

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