Who is he?

Yee Mon was the National League for Democracy (NLD) candidate for Pobbathiri Township in Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw contesting a lower house seat in the recent November 8 elections. Yee Mon is also a veteran democracy and environmental activist. He was studying at the University of Medicine in Mandalay before being expelled for his involvement in the anti-government protests in 1988. He was imprisoned for seven years, from 1998 to 2005, for his pro-democracy work.

Yee Mon is also a famous poet, known by his pen name Maung Tin Thit, and has served as editor for various literary publications. He has worked extensively on environmental issues, through his stints as a policy consultant for the Myanmar-China Pipeline Watch Committee and the local representative of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, a global program aimed at promoting open and accountable management of natural resources, which Myanmar signed on to in 2014.

Why is he in the news?

Yee Mon won the seat he was contesting against former defense minister Wai Lwin, who represented the ruling, military-backed Union Solidarity and Development (USDP), by a mere 176 votes. His victory is worth noting for at least two reasons. During the campaign period, Yee Mon claimed that he was prevented from campaigning near a military compound; Naypyidaw is home to large numbers of military officers, civil servants, and their families, and at least eight percent of the population in Yee Mon’s constituency are government employees.

Wai Lwin reportedly disputed the results on grounds that there was misconduct on voting day, and demanded a recount. His lawyer later said that Wai Lwin did not ask for a recount, although the Union Election Commission reportedly considered recounting the votes before reversing course and announced Yee Mon as the winner.

What can we expect from him?

Yee Mon’s victory against a prominent USDP candidate is symbolic of the NLD’s landslide victory across Naypyidaw, long seen as a military stronghold. NLD candidates won seven out of eight lower house seats, and all eight upper house seats representing Naypyidaw in parliament, and around 80 percent of contested seats nationwide.

If the political transition goes smoothly and an NLD-controlled government takes office in April 2016, expect the next government of Myanmar to include figures such as Yee Mon, who may have little government background but are widely supported by the people.

Thumbnail image of Uppatasanti Pagoda in Pobbathiri Township, Myanmar, courtesy Axel Drainville’s flickr photostream, used under a creative commons license.