Junta starts approving political party registrations

By Admin 21 Apr 2023

DMG Newsroom
21 April 2023, Sittwe

The junta-appointed Union Election Commission (UEC) has begun scrutinising political parties that have registered for the junta’s planned election to determine if they are in line with the new Political Parties Registration Law.

The UEC approved the registration of the military’s proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) on Thursday, according to the April 21 issue of junta-controlled newspapers.

Six parties based in Arakan State — the Arakan National Party, Arakan Front Party, Khami National Development Party, Mro National Development, Mro Ethnic Party and Rakhine State National Unity Party — have registered with the junta’s UEC.

The chairman of the Mro Ethnic Party, U Aye Tun, said: “They have not yet notified us for scrutiny. In the previous election, the commission notified us in advance before it audited party funds and checked whether we had opened party offices.”

The Arakan State election commission said it is still scrutinising documents from parties that have registered for recognition. 

“We are still checking documents submitted by them. Only after verifying those documents, we will start checking if they comply with the law,” said U Thurein Htut, secretary of the Arakan State election commission.

While the regime has not yet declared a date for its proposed election, international expectations and domestic interest in the poll are low. Political observers say a nationwide vote is highly unlikely under the current situation in Myanmar, where armed resistance to the military regime remains robust and widespread more than two years after the February 2021 coup.