1936 Burmese general election

Electoral system

The 132 seats in House of Representatives consisted of 91 members elected in single-member non-communal constituencies and 41 members elected from reserved seats. However, large areas of the country in the north and east including the Shan States remained directly governed by the Governor and did not elect members of the House. Half of the 36 seats in the Senate were appointed by the Governor, whilst the remaining half were elected by members of the House of Representatives.

Campaign

Several of the reserved seats were uncontested, including Bassein North (Karen), Mandalay Indian Urban, the three-member European constituency, the Burmese Chamber of Commerce seat, the Nakkukottai Chettyar's Association seat, the five-member Burma Chamber of Commerce constituency, the Rangoon Trades Association seat and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce seat.

Results

Members

Senate

House of Representatives

U Tun, U Pe Maung, U Ba Yin, U Lu Sin, U Tha Saing, U Sein Pe, U Tharrawady Maung Maung, U Maung Myit, U Ba Ohn, U Thi, U Bo, U Aung Nyun, U Ba Yin, U Ba Chaw, U An Gyi, U Paw Tun, U Po Aung, U Soe Maung, U Sein Win, U Kya Gaing, Dr. Thein Maung, U Lu Wa, U Ohn Khin, U Ba Win, Daw Ah Ma, U Po Loon, U Kyaw Ma, U Shin, U Ba Din, U Ba Gyi, U Ohn Nyun, U Thant, U Mya (B.Sc, B. L.), U Ba Yin, U Maung Maung, U Ohn Maung, Ong Sein Woon, U Shwe, U San Lu, U Po Hmin, U Ba, U Lu Gyaw, U Mya (B. A.), U Pu, Dr. Ba Maw, U Tun Aung Gyaw, U Kun, U Po Yin, U Ba Shwe, U Ba U, U Ba Pe, U On Pe, U Chit Hlaing, U Ba Than, U Tun Aung, Aw Myaw Shu, U Ba Pe, M. M. Ohn Ghine, H. C. Khoo, U Po Hmyin, Saw Po Chit, Sydney Loo Nee, Saw Mya Thein, U Tun Kin, U Shwe Nyun, U Kan Aye, Saw Pe Tha, U Thaw Dwe, U Hla Pe, Saw Johnson D. Po Min, S. Mahmud, B. N. Dass, Ramniwas Bagla, R. G. Aiyangar, K. C. Bose, A. M. A. Karim Gani, A. Narayana Rao, S. R. Roy, J. A. L. Wischam, A. B. Choudhury, U Ba Hlaing, H. C. Talukdar, U Myo Nyun, S. N. Haji, A. W. Adamjee, U Tun Pe, Ganga Singh, U Ba Khaing, J. Webster, F. B. Leach, E. C. V. Fouear, W. T. Melntyre, J. I. Nelson, U Aye Maung, Chan Cheng Taik, J. F. Gibson, A. M. M. Vellayan Chettiyar

Aftermath

Despite winning the most seats, the United GCBA was unable to form a government as the party began to split soon after the elections. This allowed the Poor Man's Party to put together a coalition government which took power in March 1937; it included former People's Party member U Pu, U Paw Tun from the Hlaing-Myat-Paw GCBA, Saw Pe Tha from the Karen group and U Htoon Aung Gyaw from the Arakanese. Poor Man's Party MPs U Tharrawaddy Maung Maung and Thein Maung were also appointed to the cabinet, whilst Chit Hlaing became Speaker of the House. Ba Maw was sworn in as the Premier of Burma by the Governor Sir Archibald Douglas Cochrane. The government also gained support from the commercial MPs representing Indians, Chinese, & Europeans, so many of the Poor Man's Party's more radical campaign promises were dropped.

References

References

1. "The New Constitution: Separation from India", ''The Times'', 20 April 1937, p36, Issue 47663
2. "Legislature and Electors Burma at the Polls", The Times, 20 April 1937, p37, Issue 47663
3. "Divided Burma: Launching The Constitution", ''The Times'', 11 February 1937, p13, Issue 47606
4. "Burma On Her Own First Year Of Separation, State In The Making", ''The Times'', 14 April 1938, p13, Issue 47969
5. "The Imperial Conference Opening Speeches, Expressions Of Common Loyalty ", ''The Times'', 15 May 1937, p17, Issue 47685
6. Ganga Singh (1940) ''Burma Parliamentary Companion'', British Burma Press, pp341–361
7. John F Cady (1958) ''A history of modern Burma'', Cornell University Press, pp384–385
8. Reed, Stanley. "The Indian Year Book 1936-37".
9. Cady, p385