As recently as 2010, the regime held elections so blatantly rigged that the main opposition party refused to participate. But in 2011, shortly before assuming the presidency, Sein, a general who served as Prime Minister under the junta, began to take steps that impressed even the most skeptical observers.
1948年，缅甸独立。自1962年到不久前，缅甸一直由神秘的军事集团统治。迟至2010年，缅甸军政府还举行了一场赤裸裸操纵的选举，以至于反对党拒绝参与。但在2011年，军政府时期以将军身份担任总理的吴登盛在就任总统前开始采取令最狐疑的观察者也觉得了不起的步骤。与此前的统治者装模作样的改革姿态不同，吴登盛的动作是具体且意义深远的。