Junta-installed UEC threatens legal action against political parties that refuse audit

By DMG 24 Mar 2022

DMG Newsroom
24 March 2022, Sittwe 

The Union Election Commission (UEC) appointed by Myanmar’s military regime has warned that it will take legal action against political parties that have yet to undergo its scrutiny ahead of a general election slated for 2023. 

Under the Political Parties Registration Law, political parties are required to submit to inspection by the UEC, commission member U Khin Maung Oo said at a press conference on Thursday, adding that parties would be charged under Section 24(c), (d) and (e) of the law if they fail to do so. 

“Under the law, we can suspend a political party for three years, and can even dissolve it if it continues party functions,” he said. 

The junta-appointed UEC has also set a deadline for inspections, saying that it will begin taking legal action against noncompliant parties after Armed Forces Day on March 27. 

The election body said it has inspected 83 out of 92 registered political parties nationwide since August of last year. 

In Arakan State, the state’s election subcommission has inspected seven out of eight local parties including the Arakan National Party (ANP) and Arakan Front Party (AFP). Only the Arakan League for Democracy (ALD) remains unscrutinised, the deputy director of the state election body told DMG. 

“There are eight Arakan State-based parties, and we have inspected seven of them. We have yet to inspect the ALD. It has not yet contacted us. We will inspect the party’s funds, its list of party members and documents,” said U Thurein Htut, the deputy director. 

The state election subcommission asked the ALD to come to its office for the party audit on March 10. But ALD General Secretary U Myo Kyaw said the party is ready for scrutiny, just not on those terms.  

“The UEC is not complying with the procedures. If they are to inspect a party, they must inspect it at the party’s office. But they have instructed us to come to theirs for inspection, and we reject that. We have all the documents, and [election officials] may come and inspect them at our office,” he told DMG. 

The junta’s UEC announced on August 12 that it and its election subcommissions would audit the funds and assets of political parties, as is its prerogative under Section 18 of the Political Parties Registration Law and Section 23 of the relevant by-law.