Thursday, August 30, 2012

Burmese Lower House forms impeachment committee

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Thursday, 30 August 2012 12:50 Mizzima News

Burma’s Lower House of Parliament has formed a 15-member team to probe into impeachment proceedings against the Constitutional Tribunal for what it says was a breach of constitutional provisions.

Thein Soe, the chairman of the Constitutional Tribunal, speaks at a press conference at the tribunal’s office in Naypyitaw on Monday, August 20. Photo: Myanmar Journalists Association

On Aug. 24, 162 MPs of the Upper House jointly signed a petition to impeach the Constitutional Tribunal.

On Tuesday, the Lower House approved a proposal to impeach the Constitutional Tribunal chairman and its eight members, submitted by Mandalay Constituency MP Zaw Myint.

On Monday, a joint session of Parliament passed a resolution by secret vote 447-168 in favor of an impeachment proposal, urging the constitutional tribunal to admit that it had mistakenly issued a ruling saying that parliament-formed committees, commissions and organizations were not union (central) level organizations under the Constitution.

The Constitutional Tribunal, however, has insisted it has followed its duties and has refused to resign.

The constitutional tribunal chairperson Thein Soe and eight other members were nominated by the president and the two house speakers, and then approved by the parliament when the new government was set up in March 2011.

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