Nay Pyi Taw, February (24)
Within three weeks of the promulgation of the Political Parties Registration Law, eight political parties have applied for party establishment and party registration to the junta-controlled Union Election Commission (UEC).
Among those applying for party registration are the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), the Federal Democratic Party (DFP), the Union Democratic Party, the Myanmar People’s Democratic Party (MPD), the Pa-O National League Organization (PNO), the Democratic Forces Labor Party, the New Democracy Party (Kachin), and the Public Contribute Students Democracy Party.
The junta’s Union Election Commission (UEC) has not disclosed whether these parties applied for party registration at the union level or at the state/regional level.
The military council issued a new party registration law on January 26, and a statement on entitlements for the establishment of political parties and registration, and entitlements for the continuity of political parties and registration was declared on January 31.
On February 1, the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) first applied to the junta-run UEC to continue standing as a party.
Political parties say that according to the junta’s political party registration law, a party to be organized nationwide must have 100,000 members in addition to a fund of K 100 million, and restrictions on the number of party offices and candidates make it difficult to continue as a political party.
U Than Soe Naing, a political analyst, remarked that the purpose of the military council is to make the USDP compete in the whole country and try to retain military power in the long term. After that, the military leader Min Aung Hlaing would be promoted to president, a move to maintain military rule in Myanmar for the long term.
U Than Soe Naing pointed out that since martial law has been declared in 40 townships in eight regions and states of the country, there is no democracy in those areas, so the military can manipulate them as they please.
On the other hand, the junta UEC is making preparations to use the electronic voting system for the general election.
A member of the junta UEC explained the control unit and functions of the of the electronic voting machine to the military leader on February 9.
A member of the Myanmar Election Observers Network said that an election with this system would be impossible because the cost of the electronic voting system would be high and the commission staff and the public would need to be educated about the voting machine.
Regarding the electronic voting system, the military council and the Union Election Commission have yet to announce the details of the voting system and call for tenders for the machine that will be used in the election.
Military leader General Min Aung Hlaing has retreated that he will hold a multi-party democratic general election in 2023 with a proportional representation system (PR) and hand over power to the winning party.
Legal experts and political analysts point out that the election to be held with a PR system that deviates from the 2008 Constitution will not be a free and fair election under the current political situation.
The National Unity Government (NUG), the Ethnic Armed Resistance Organizations (EROs), and the People’s Defense Forces (PDFs) have made it clear that they will not accept the military regime’s elections.
News-Than Lwin Times