Parties to Register for Election: Junta

By WAI MOE
The Irrawaddy News

Burma’s military junta will make an announcement in the coming months that all political parties must register in advance of the 2010 election, sources told The Irrawaddy.

Sources close to ethnic armed groups—which have maintained a ceasefire with the ruling junta since the 1990s—said that military officials told ceasefire groups to organize their political parties in preparation for the junta announcing party registration.

Burmese military officials reportedly also told the ceasefire groups that several high-ranking military generals would run in the election in 2010.

The Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), backed by the ruling military regime, had reviewed its membership list in preparation for the forthcoming election after the regime announced that more than 90 percent of voters supported the new constitution, according to USDA sources in Rangoon.

USDA members had reportedly been told to join a military-backed political party.

Sources said that when members of the USDA met with military officials, they were told that the country’s top generals were pleased with the tactic of using advance voting to control and win the constitutional referendum in May.

Military officials also told USDA leaders and local authorities to hold advance voting, in particular for soldiers, civil servants and USDA members, in the 2010 general election.

“The generals are very happy with the referendum result and advance voting. They think they can control people with advance voting rather than in a secret ballot on election day,” a township level leader of the USDA in Rangoon said.

“When I went to polling station on May 24 to vote, sub-commissioners at the polling station told me that their records showed that I had already voted. I asked them who voted for me. They told me that they voted on my behalf because they thought I would not come to the polling station,” a businessman in Rangoon said.

The main opposition party, the National League for Democracy, has not decided whether it will compete in the 2010 election. The party still regards the 1990 election result as valid and its policy is to call the People’s Parliamentary Assembly with elected persons from the last election, said Win Naing, a spokesperson for the NLD.

“The result of the 1990 election has never been honored by the ruling regime. So how can we consider the outcome of another election under the same rules?” he added.