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Democracy News
Burmese Pro-Democracy Parties Await Parliamentary Election
August 12, 2010
By: Randi Zung | Printer Friendly
On August 5, AFP reported that Phyo Min Thein, co-founder of the newly formed Union Democratic Party (UDP), resigned on the basis that Burma’s upcoming parliamentary elections would not be free and fair. Commenting on the pre-election climate, Phyo Min Thein said that political parties were being prevented from conducting political activities. Phyo Min Thein, an activist who spent nearly 15 years in jail for participating in Burma’s bloody “8888 Uprising” in which thousands of student protestors died after being shot by soldiers, helped co-found the group earlier this year in May 2010.
On August 10, AFP also reported that another pro-democracy political party – the Democratic Party – announced that members of the party were being harassed by special branch police forces. Speaking on the situation, Democratic Party chairman Thu Wai stated that the party had filed a complaint to the country’s Union Election Commission.
On August 12, the Burmese government announced that the country would be divided into constituencies for the upcoming parliamentary election. According to the Democratic Voice of Burma, in the lower house, known as Pyithu Hluttaw (People’s Parliament), there will be 330 contested seats with an additional 110 seats reserved for members of the military junta. In the upper house, known as Amyotha Hluttaw (House of Nationalities), there will 168 seats for elected representatives and 56 seats reserved for the military junta.
In addition to the UDP, AFP reported that approximately 40 other newly formed political parties will participate in the upcoming election – including the National Democratic Force (NDF) party that is composed of ex- National League for Democracy (NLD) party members. The NLD, which disbanded in May 2010 in protest of the country’s new harsh election laws, won in a landslide during the country’s last election in 1990, but was prevented by the military from taking power.
In June 2010, United States Senator Jim Webb stated the Burmese junta would likely hold the event on October 10, 2010, due to the date’s numerological significance of “10-10-10.” However, on August 13, the ruling junta officially announced the election would take place on November 7, 2010. According to the announcement by the Burmese state media, political parties will now have until the end of August to submit their candidate lists to the ruling junta, the New York Times reported. Commenting on the junta’s announcement, Elaine Pearson, acting Asia director at Human Rights Watch, stated, “announcing an election date follows the military's script, but doesn't make the fatally flawed process any more legitimate.” Pearson also stated, “No one should be fooled. The generals may be exchanging their khakis for civilian clothes, but these polls are still a carefully arranged plan to keep power in the hands of the military junta.”
For previous news on Burma, please see: http://ccd21.org/news/asia/burma_asean_concerns.html
Sources:
AFP - Myanmar dissident quits as head of democracy party
RTT News - Myanmar Designates Constituencies Ahead Of Parliamentary Poll
New York Times - Myanmar Junta Sets Election Date
Human Rights Watch – Burma: Escalate International Pressure Ahead of November 7 Polls
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