Tatmadaw pushes for elections in skipped Arakan, Shan constituencies

By Min Tun 08 Jan 2021

Min Tun | DMG
8 January 2021, Sittwe 

The Tatmadaw True News Information Team released a statement on January 7 urging the relevant organisations to hold make-up elections soonest in nine Arakan State townships and in Mongkaing Township, Shan State, where voting was cancelled in November. 

Holding free and fair elections in a multi-party democracy, and enabling the election of MPs to represent the people of their constituencies are the democratic rights of all citizens, the statement said.  

U Pe Than, a member of the Arakan National Party’s steering committee for policy affairs, noted that the Union Election Commission (UEC) is mainly responsible for holding elections. 

“The government and the UEC have not released any statement about the townships where voting was cancelled on November 8. Both are passing the buck,” he said. “The UEC said voting was cancelled in these townships because elections cannot be held there. The opinion of the Tatmadaw is clear. It has urged to hold elections soonest in the townships where voting was cancelled. So, the UEC needs to ask the opinion of the government.”  

U Pe Than said he could generally speculate that the government did not want to hold elections in the areas skipped over in November based on government spokespersons’ remarks to journalists on the matter. 

On the occasion of the 46^th anniversary of Arakan State Day on December 15, President U Win Myint asked individuals and organisations to help “create favourable conditions” for holding elections in Arakan townships where voting was cancelled on November 8, calling the nixed polls “very regrettable.” 

The Tatmadaw statement said military operations would be halted from December 1, 2020, through January 31 of this year, with the aim of facilitating make-up elections in the non-voting areas. The Arakan Army has also requested that make-up elections be held in the cancelled Arakan State constituencies. 

Voting was cancelled in the entireties of Pauktaw, Ponnagyun, Rathedaung, Buthidaung, Maungdaw, Kyauktaw, Minbya, Myebon and Mrauk-U townships, as well as some parts of Sittwe, Ann, Taungup and Kyaukphyu townships. 

The UEC has not released any statement on prospects for holding make-up elections in the affected townships.