1990 Burmese General Election (Age of Rebirth)

General elections were held in the Socialist Republic of Burma on 27 May 1990 to elect 492 members of the Constitutional Committee, the institution tasked of crafting a new constitution. It represented the first free multi-party election in the country since 1960, after the military led by Ne Win outsed democratically-elected Prime Minister U Nu. The junta would subsequently dissolve in 1974 and the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma was proclaimed, with Ne Win serving both as chairman of the newly-established ruling party and as President of the country.

The results have seen the National League for Democracy, led since 1988 by Aung San Suu Kyi, triumph over the pro-militarist National Unity Party, which won only 56 seats. The Chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council, Senior General Saw Maung publicly congratulated the NLD on the victory, hailing it as a "truly popular movement", and on 28 May martial law was repealed and military battalions returned to the barracks where they "rightfully belonged". Controversy emerged as an attempted palace coup was carried out by Than Shwe-led hardliners, however failed to materialize as Saw Maung accused them of treason and sent them to prison.

On 30 May 1990, Aung San Suu Kyi was voted in by the Constitutional Committee as the transitional Prime Minister of Burma, marking the first time a civilian assumed office in 28 years, as well as the first woman and youngest person to serve as head of government. As a sign of gratitude, Saw Maung was promoted to Senior General and assumed functions as Chairman of the Defence Services, a position he would mantain until his death in 1997.