The Union Parliament approved a proposal to form a Joint Committee comprising appropriate Union Parliament representatives to study and review proposed amendments to the 2008 Constitution and draft legislation, at the third regular session of the Third Union Parliament held on November 5.
The proposal was submitted to the Union Parliament by U Zin Min Htet, Amyotha Hluttaw representative for Constituency No. 7 of Bago Region.
In presenting the proposal, U Zin Min Htet said that it was submitted because constitutional amendments were closely related to the peace and well-being of the people of Myanmar under the country's current circumstances and required a decision by the Union Parliament.
He said the proposal was submitted under Rule 66 of the Rules of the Union Parliament, with the aim of establishing a joint committee comprising appropriate Union Parliament representatives to study and review 43 provisions of the 2008 Constitution that should be amended or supplemented, as well as matters contained in Parts (1), (2) and (3) of the Union Accord, and to draft legislation for constitutional amendments. He explained that discussions on amending the 2008 Constitution had been held at the Union Peace Conference in accordance with Article 20(e) of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA). The committee would also review provisions concerning the establishment of a Union based on democracy and a federal system contained in Parts (1), (2) and (3) of the Union Accord submitted to the Union Parliament. In addition, the committee would study the 43 proposed constitutional amendments agreed upon through negotiations with political party groups, including 21 points agreed upon with Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs), as mentioned in the President's message dated July 1, 2026, sent to the Union Parliament.
He stressed that efforts should be made to implement a Union based on democracy and a federal system in line with the country's current circumstances and the aspirations of all citizens and ethnic nationalities. He added that such efforts were among the key responsibilities of the Union Parliament as the legislative body. He also said that constitutional provisions should be amended where necessary to build mutual trust and facilitate continued efforts towards lasting peace and national reconciliation, which all ethnic nationalities were striving to achieve.
He further explained that the proposal was not yet intended to initiate the formal constitutional amendment process under Sections 433, 434, 435 and 436 of Chapter XII of the Constitution. Rather, it sought to establish a systematic mechanism for studying, reviewing and preparing the groundwork for constitutional amendments.
He submitted the proposal to form a Joint Committee comprising appropriate Union Parliament representatives to study and review the 43 provisions of the 2008 Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar that should be amended or supplemented, together with the matters contained in Parts (1), (2) and (3) of the Union Accord, and to draft the necessary legislation. He stated that the proposed amendments were aimed at enabling the implementation of a Union system based on democracy and a federal system in accordance with the provisions of the 2008 Constitution, which was promulgated in accordance with the will of the people; safeguarding the fundamental rights of ethnic nationalities; ensuring a balanced separation and exercise of the three branches of sovereign power—the legislative, executive and judicial branches; and facilitating more effective implementation across various sectors of the State.
U Thein Tun Oo, representative of Amarapura Constituency, supported the proposal during the parliamentary discussion.
Subsequently, the Speaker of the Union Parliament sought the Parliament's approval to form a Joint Committee comprising appropriate Union Parliament representatives to study and review constitutional amendments and draft legislation for amending and supplementing the 2008 Constitution. As the proposal received unanimous support, the Speaker announced that the Union Parliament had approved the formation of the Joint Committee.
