Six political parties in Arakan State re-register with junta’s UEC

By Admin 29 Mar 2023

DMG Newsroom
29 March 2023, Sittwe

Fifty political parties from Myanmar’s quasi-democratic era (2010-2021) have re-registered with the junta-appointed Union Election Commission (UEC), six of which are from Arakan State, according to a list announced by the regime’s election body on Tuesday.

The six Arakan State-based parties are the Arakan National Party (ANP), the Arakan Front Party (AFP), Khami National Development Party, Mro Ethnic Party, Mro National Development Party and Rakhine State National Unity Party.

The Arakan League for Democracy (ALD), Kaman National Development Party and Daingnet Nationalities Development Party were officially dissolved as they opted not to register with the junta election body.

“We have registered because we need to survive,” said U Ba Shein, a member of the ANP’s policy board. “Previously, the ANP registered as a party contesting nationally. But under the restrictions of the new law, we have registered as a local party contesting in Arakan State.”

The regime promulgated a new Political Parties Registration Law in late January, which requires political parties to re-register with the junta-appointed UEC within 60 days of enactment of the law, or face dissolution.

The election commission on Tuesday announced the list of registered parties after the deadline passed. Of the 90 pre-existing political parties in Myanmar, a total of 40 parties including the electoral juggernaut National League for Democracy (NLD) were dissolved.

The Daingnet Nationalities Development Party said it did not register as it could not meet the requirements set out by the new Political Parties Registration Law.

“Our party represents ethnic Diangnet people. We could not afford to register, so we will not be able to make their voices heard,” said party chairman U Aung Kyaw Zaw. “In the past, we could raise issues with the Arakan State Parliament. So, we feel sorry that we could not register.”

A total of 12 parties have registered to contest nationally, and 51 others registered to contest in their own regions and states, according to the UEC, which said that of those 63 political parties in total, 13 were new registrants.

The law requires parties competing nationally to recruit at least 100,000 members within 90 days of registration, open offices in at least half of Myanmar’s 330 townships within six months and contest at least half of Myanmar’s constituencies. Critics of the law say its formidable thresholds have forced many parties to run in single regions or states, essentially creating a one-horse race for the military’s proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) at the national level.

Junta spokesman Major-General Zaw Min Tun told media on Armed Forces, March 27, that the regime cannot yet set a date for the election because of the current security situation. It has previously indicated the election will take place later this year.

The regime has imposed martial law in dozens of townships in Sagaing, Magwe, Tanintharyi and Bago regions as well as Chin, Kachin, Mon, Kayin (Karen) and Kayah (Karenni) states.