Vol. 8, No. 3 Smith & Smith: Use and Abuse of Social Media in Myanmar between… overwhelming majority. 6 The outcome was not that desired by the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), so democracy was stifled again. In 2008 a new Constitution was approved by referendum, and a multi-party election was held in 2010. However, Aung San Suu Kyi boycotted the election won by the military aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).7 "The pace and breadth of reforms that were initiated between 2011 and 2013 were among the most ambitious in a generation [. . .] [b]y 2013, most of the earlier scepticism in the international community had diminished, though some viewed continuing ethnic and communal violence as an indicator of whether the new administration would be able to sustain these reforms." 8 By the time of the 2015 General Election, the NLD fully participated. It won most seats even though 25% were reserved for the military. 9 Aung San Suu Kyi was denied the post of President under the Constitution of 2008 but was made State Counsellor, making her de facto leader, and took on the roles of foreign minister, education minister, energy minister and minister of the President’s office. 10 In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, a general election was held in November 2020. 11 The NLD was once again the landslide victor.12 On 1 February 2021, the military detained leaders, declared a state of emergency and handed over power to the commander-in-chief.13 They claimed that the reason for the takeover was election fraud, and their response was in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. 14 Civil disobedience commenced immediately15 and continues to this day. 16 “Ousted NLD lawmakers, protest leaders, and activists from several minority groups established a parallel government known as the National Unity Government (NUG)”.17 Kipgen observes that political activism by students has occurred in different capacities throughout the history of Myanmar: "Student unions have played an important role as civil society actors at different points of time. Generally, students have a tendency to believe that there is a historical legacy that they will have to fulfil in the larger interest of the country. The freedom from family responsibilities and the general preference of parents for their children to 6 Aung-Thwin & Aung-Thwin (2013) at 276-279. Kipgen (2022) at 123. 8 Aung-Thwin & Aung-Thwin (2013) at 291-292. 9 Kipgen (2022) at 151, 10 Ibid. 11 Ibid, at 164. 12 Ibid, at 165. 13 Ibid, at 166. 14 Ibid. 15 BBC News (2021). 16 May 2022. 17 Maizland (2022). 7 310 Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4150894