Yangon, February (22)
After the junta-established Union Election Commission (UEC) announced the approval of political party establishment and party registration applications, some political parties are reportedly trying to register their parties at the union level.
Political parties say that the restrictions of the Political Parties Registration Law make it difficult to meet the funding requirements, membership strength, number of party offices, and number of candidates for parties to organize across the nation.
Despite these difficulties, some parties are trying to re-register as a federal-level party that will organize the entire country.
Than Lwin Times has revealed that there are at least three political parties that are trying to apply for union-level party registration.
The chairman of the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP), Sai Ai Pao, told Than Lwin Times, “We want to serve the people, so we will register the party by the end of this month”.
The Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNDP), also known as the White Tiger Party, ran for office in the 2020 general election in Shan and Kachin states and won only one seat in Shan State’s Mai Pan Township constituency.
According to the political party registration law, a party that will organize throughout the nation must have at least 100,000 members within 90 days of party registration, and 100 million kyats of party funds at a Myanmar commercial bank.
In addition, candidates must contest in half of the constituencies for all three parliaments, and party offices must be opened in 165 townships, which is at least half of the country, within 180 days.
The National Democratic Force Party (NDF) also said that the ninth Central Committee meeting made a decision to make efforts to re-register the party at the union level.
The restrictions of the party registration law make it difficult for all political parties, so the NDF party will cooperate with friendly parties, U Kyaw Htin, NDF Party Secretary, told Than Lwin Times.
On the other hand, due to the abnormal situation in the country, the military council, which has extended the state of emergency for six months, has admitted that effective security measures are needed in 132 townships.
In an abnormal situation, there are criticisms that the requirements to open party offices in 165 townships nationwide and to have a certain number of party members create a dilemma for political parties.
The People’s Pioneer Party (PPP) also announced on February 9 that it has decided to re-register the party at the union level, despite many challenges faced by the party that will organize across the nation.
According to the Junta UEC, from February 1 to 16, there were still only five political parties that applied for political party establishment and registration.
However, the commission did not mention whether these parties registered at the union level or at the state or regional level.
According to Section 25 of the Political Parties Registration Law, existing political parties must register with the commission within 60 days of the party law’s enactment, or they will be declared invalid as political parties.
News-Than Lwin Times
Thanlwintimes