Political parties including military proxy USDP kick off election campaigns in Mon State

19 Jan 2023

DMG Newsroom
19 January 2023, Mawlamyine, Mon State

Several political parties, including the military’s proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), have begun campaigning in Mon State for an election that Myanmar’s military regime intends to hold later this year.

The USDP has been campaigning in areas that are stable since December 2022, according to a Mon political analyst.

“The USDP started campaigning in rural areas for the election to be held by the military regime,” he said.

About 10 political parties including the USDP have reportedly begun election campaigns in Paung, Zin Kyaik, Mottama, Mawlamyine and Chaungzon since the second week of January.

“As a powerful party, key members of the Mon Unity Party — Naing Lal Tama and Dr. Banyar Aung Moe — serve under the military council,” said a member of the New Rehmonnya Federated Force (NRFF). “Maybe they are watching what Min Aung Hlaing will say on the second anniversary of the coup. Another thing is that the candidates who are going to compete in the election may be debating whether or not to compete because of their security situation.”

Party leaders from the Karen People’s Party (KPP), People's Pioneer Party, 88 Generation Democracy Party, Pa-O National Organisation party, Bamar People’s Party, and National Political Democratic Party met with members in the Mon State towns of Mudon, Chaungzon and Mawlamyine on January 10, according to sources close to the parties.

“The party leaders talked about the PR[proportional representation] system and nationalism,” said a source close to the National Political Democratic Party. “Party members were informed by calling a meeting like a training course. In the current political situation, there were discussions about the party’s campaign to be safe.”

The military seized power on February 1, 2021, on the grounds that there had been widespread voter fraud in MYanmar’s 2020 general election, a claim widely refuted by independent poll monitors, the Myanmar public and much of the international community.

The junta is planning to hold the election in August using a proportional representation (PR) system instead of the first-past-the-post (FPTP) model used in the previous three general elections held under the 2008 Constitution.