Yangon, January (1)
Due to the limitations of the military council’s political party registration law, most political parties are likely to be dissolved, and the remaining parties will only be able to run in one region or state, according to legal experts.
According to Section 5(f) and (g) of the new Political Parties Registration Law, if the party will carry out organizational activities across the entire Union, the personal undertaking that at least 100,000 party members will be mobilized within 90 days after granting registration as a political party and the party shall have a party fund amounting to K100 million.
Similarly, if the party will only carry out organizational activities within the region or state, the personal undertaking that at least 1,000 party members will be mobilized within 90 days of granting registration as a political party and the party shall have a party fund amounting to K10 million, and the said respective amount of fund shall be paid in at a Myanma Economic Bank and the acknowledgement receipt shall be submitted.
According to a legal expert, minor parties may find it difficult to gather members and establish party offices as a result of the current instability in many regions and states, but they will be forced to engage only at regional and state levels.
Furthermore, according to the law’s restrictions and prohibitions, small political parties can only be elected and stand in a single state or region, according to the legal expert.
According to Section 5(h) of the political party registration law, if the party will carry out organizational activities across the entire Union, the party must give a personal undertaking that the party offices will be opened in at least half of the townships across the entire Union within 180 days after granting registration as a political party.
For the party that will carry out the organizational activities only within the region or state, at least five party offices will be opened within 180 days after granting registration as a political party.
Advocate U Gyi Myint claimed that, the military council’s political party registration law was enacted so that only the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) could dominate the entire union.
He added, “It means that the parties representing the provinces are forced to compete with each other. The military is already 25 percent involved in those regions and states, so it is the law that finally allows only the USDP to control the entire country”.
Most of the political parties, including ethnic parties, had the opportunity to compete in constituencies throughout the Union in the last general election. But due to the new party law, their parties will be dissolved automatically.
Legal analysts point out that at least 25 parties are likely to run for the election, and that the majority of political parties have either been dissolved or failed to register by the deadline due to the current political instability and legal restrictions.
News-Than Lwin Times
Thanlwintimes