Shwe Mann

Shwe Mann
သူရရွှေမန်း
Shwe Mann in 2012
2nd Speaker of the Assembly of the Union
In office
1 July 2013 – 29 January 2016
DeputyNanda Kyaw Swa
Preceded byKhin Aung Myint
Succeeded byMahn Win Khaing Than
1st Speaker of the House of Representatives
In office
31 January 2011 – 29 January 2016
PresidentThein Sein
DeputyNanda Kyaw Swa
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byWin Myint
Member of the Burmese House of Representatives
from Zeyarthiri
In office
31 January 2011 – 29 January 2016
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded byHla Htay Win
Chairman of the Legal Affairs and Special Cases Assessment Commission of the Assembly of the Union
Assumed office
5 February 2016
Preceded byCommission established
Personal details
Born (1947-07-11) 11 July 1947 (age 77)
Kanyutkwin, Burma
Political partyUnion Solidarity and Development Party (2008–2016)
Union Betterment Party (2019–2022)
SpouseKhin Lay Thet
ChildrenAung Thet Mann
Toe Naing Mann
Alma materDefence Services Academy
Military service
AllegianceMyanmar Myanmar
Branch/serviceMyanmar Army
Years of service1969–2010
Rank General

Thura Shwe Mann (Burmese: သူရ ရွှေမန်း, pronounced [θùja̰ ʃwè máɰ̃]; born 11 July 1947) is a Burmese politician who was Speaker of the Pyithu Hluttaw, the lower house of parliament from 31 January 2011 to 29 January 2016.[1] He is a former army general and, whilst being a protégé of senior general Than Shwe,[2][3] was considered the third most powerful man in the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), which ruled Myanmar until 2011.[4]

He was elected to parliament in the 2010 general election. He was later selected as Speaker of the Lower House at the first regular session of the Pyithu Hluttaw in 2011. He was crucial in the newly-found activism of the Lower House vis-à-vis the Upper House and the executive.[4][5]

In May 2013, he replaced President Thein Sein as head of the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). That same year, he confirmed he would run for president in 2015.[1] Amidst reports of tensions between Shwe Mann and Thein Sein, the former was removed from his post as head of the USDP in August 2015. Finally he was sacked from USDP together with other 17 senior members in April 2016.[6] He later founded the Union Betterment Party (UBP), which existed from 2019 to 2022.[7]

  1. ^ a b Freeman, A. & Roads, J. "Myanmar’s Speaker of the Lower House Shwe Mann: Economic Reforms Needed Ahead of 2015 Elections", The Asia Foundation, 19 June 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  2. ^ Besant, D. "Shwe Mann: The Right Man for the Job?", Southeast Asia Globe, 5 March 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  3. ^ Head, J. "Burma Ex-General Shwe Mann Rides Wave of Change", BBC, 27 September 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Myanmar Votes 2015: A Conversation With Thura Shwe Mann", CarnegieEndowmentStream, 1 May 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2015
  5. ^ Lloyd-George, W. "The Dicey Democrat", Foreign Policy, 28 November 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  6. ^ "Senior USDP members, including Shwe Mann, sacked". mizzima.com. Mizzima. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  7. ^ Zan, Hein Htoo (12 October 2022). "Former General and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Ally Dissolves His Union Betterment Party". The Irrawaddy. Retrieved 6 December 2023.