Rakhine State National Unity Party registers with junta election body

By Admin 16 Mar 2023

DMG Newsroom
16 March 2023, Sittwe

The Rakhine State National Unity Party (RSUNP) has registered with the junta-appointed Union Election Commission (UEC) under the new Political Parties Registration Law, but only to contest in Arakan State due to certain restrictions under the law.

The RSUNP contested nationally in previous elections, but has been forced by the new law to narrow the scope of its political ambitions to local elections.

The Myanmar military is planning to hold a new election more than two years after it seized power in a coup from the democratically elected National League for Democracy (NLD) government, claiming widespread voter fraud in the 2020 general election. The NLD won a landslide victory in that election, which was assessed as having been largely free and fair by domestic and international poll monitors.

Under the new Political Parties Registration Law promulgated by the junta in January, parties have 60 days to re-register with the junta’s UEC or they will be dissolved.

The law requires parties running nationally to recruit at least 100,000 members within 90 days of registration and have offices in at least half of Myanmar’s 330 townships within six months. They must also deposit 100 million kyats with a state-owned bank. Parties contesting seats in one state or region must recruit at least 10,000 members, run offices in at least five townships, and deposit 10 million kyats in a state-owned bank.

“The law says parties contesting nationally must have a fund of 100 million kyats. We can’t afford that amount, and we have therefore registered to contest at the state level,” U Khin Maung Win, spokesman for the RSUNP, told DMG.

“The law also says parties contesting nationally must have 100,000 members. We don’t have that many members. So, we have registered to contest only in Arakan State. We plan to open offices in the southern part of Arakan,” he added.

The party contested in the 2015 and 2020 general elections, but has never won a seat.

Among Arakan State-based political parties, the Arakan Front Party, Khami National Development Party and RSUNP have registered with the junta-appointed UEC. One of the most powerful Arakanese parties, the Arakan National Party, also plans to register.

Since February 1, 26 political parties have registered with the junta’s UEC; six of them are contesting nationally and 20 parties are contesting in a single region or state.

The regime plans to replace the previously used first-past-the-post electoral system with one based on proportional representation in the coming election.