Naypyitaw - an elected Parliament convened to Myanmar Monday for the first time in half a century but inspired lean enthusiasm convinced skeptical audiences as it is just a smokescreen for the continued military rule.
More than 600 members completed two new "Hluttaws", or legislative chambers, the opening session. They are responsible for choosing first civilian President Myanmar 49 uninterrupted years of military dictatorship has ushered in a coup in 1962.
The junta praised Parliament as a new dawn of democracy but critics reject it as a joke that leaves the authoritarian generals same in control. The new Government is equally capable of suppressing dissent as the former.
Lawmakers elected Presidents and vice Presidents for each of the two rooms in the opening session, with three of four positions for military retirement, according to several parliamentarians, who asked to remain anonymous because with media was liable to two years in prison.
The big surprise was junta number three Thura Shwe Mann, a career soldier honoured for bravery and tipped by many politicians and analysts as a presidential candidate made possible the President or the Chairman of the lower House.
"There is speculation among us Thura Shwe Mann will become President, that our party has loaded we elect the President of the Chamber, low", said the Member of the main political party, trade union solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which is a proxy for the military Government.
The army has a reserved quota of one quarter of the seats in both houses, as well as in regional parliaments. Leaving Parliament dominated by serving or loyal to the junta supremo Than Shwe who think of many retired military analysts could take the position of President.
Police patrol roads and legislators visited assemblies Naypyitaw, sprawling capital, luxury cars built from scratch, there are only four years, where the former Burmese military leaders have isolated themselves about 320 km (200 miles)-the largest city and former capital Yangon.
But there is barely a ripple of interest among the ordinary Burmese, most of which see change as purely cosmetic.
"We have no idea and no time for taking the trouble to think about these stuff", said worker 38 year-old in Naypyitaw when asked for his views on the Parliament.
Journalists were prevented from attending the session and cell phones have been banned in the rooms.
After a general election on November 7 that has been strongly criticized and abroad for irregularities, the lower and upper houses will be dominated by the USDP.
WE DON 'T CARE WHO BECOMES PRESIDENT. "
The National Democratic Force, the greatest feast of democracy promotion that participated in the election of November, won 12 664 seats just.
League promotion of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi national pour la démocratie boycotted the election after having won the previous survey in 1990 by a landslide, a result the soldiers ignored.
Despite his release from house arrest after the election, Suu Kyi and his party dissolved for the boycott of the election, have no influence on the Parliament, although it remains very popular.
While Western countries have severely criticized the Parliament and showed little sign of lift the sanctions imposed in response to violations of rights, elections have been acclaimed by China Thailand, India and Singapore, is a big investor.
Myanmar neighbors have wanted to take advantage of its rich natural resources. Reserves proved, for example, doubled in the last decade of 570 billion cubic meters, equivalent to close to one-fifth of the Australia, according to the BP Statistical Review.
China's official Xinhua News Agency has welcomed the start of Parliament as a "new era", in which soldiers still play a role "with its own special characteristics.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Japan said it would be "closely observe" the direction of the Parliament and called new Government when he took office, to release political prisoners and to become more involved with the international community.
Most of the people interviewed by Reuters said that they remain much more concerned about the struggles of everyday life with deplorable country utilities, frequent power cuts and the Chronicle of economic mismanagement.
At least 32% of the approximately 50 million people in Myanmar lived below the poverty line.
We Don "t care who becomes President until he can create better conditions of life", said the worker, who only speak frankly to the condition that his name did not report.
"Things couldn't be worse now and continue to raise prices."
Nobody has publicly expressed interest in becoming the head of State and analysts believe that the President, two vice presidents and Ministers have already been decided by the junta.
Many believe that the 78-year-old Than Shwe is too fearful to end his reign of 18 years and will be quietly retired Army over the next few days he is eligible to take the omnipotent Presidency itself.
Other analysts, however, believe that the strong man may have reserved the first positions for its protected and the confidants and intend to resign and pull the strings behind the scenes.
(Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Beijing;) Written by Martin Petty; (Editing by Robert Birsel)
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