Myanmar regime rejects ANP's registration bid

By Admin 02 Jul 2024

DMG Newsroom
2 July 2024, Sittwe

The junta-appointed Union Election Commission (UEC) on Monday rejected the registration of the Arakan National Party (ANP) for allegedly violating the Political Parties Registration Law.

The UEC announced in a statement on July 1 that the ANP's registration was rejected for non-compliance with Section 7 of the law, which bars individuals with ties to unlawful, revolutionary or terror organisations from registering a political party.

DMG attempted to phone ANP leaders regarding the matter, but they could not be reached. It is widely assumed that the rejection was related to affiliations of some former and potentially current party members with the Arakkha Army (AA), which is in active conflict with Myanmar's military regime in Arakan State.

Veteran politician U Pe Than criticised the regime's rejection of the ANP's registration bid, calling it a political death blow.

"The regime's rejection of the ANP's registration is killing the ANP politically," he said.

"It is important to distinguish between the party and the person. If a person is associated with an armed group, that person must be notified to be expelled from the party. Now, as per the regime's will, I see that the UEC acted like a referee," he added.

The ANP applied for registration on March 26, 2023. The regime rejected the registration bid after more than a year of scrutiny.

The ANP won the most seats in Myanmar's 2015 and 2020 general elections in Arakan State.

Six parties based in Arakan State have applied for registration with the junta-appointed UEC. Five of them - namely the Arakan Front Party, Rakhine National Unity Party, Khami National Development Party, Mro Ethnic Party and Mro National Development Party - have had their registrations approved by the UEC.