Mizzima

The Myanmar junta-backed Union Election Commission (UEC) has warned that political parties that do no re-register by 28 March will face dissolution.

Myanmar junta media reports that the UEC has said that 38 parties have re-registered to compete in the regime planned elections. There are nine parties that will field candidates nationwide and 29 parties in a region or state.

At this stage, it is unclear when the junta plans to hold the election. Initially, they suggested August 2023 but there are now suggestions that a nationwide census will need to be held first before a national poll. 

The National League for Democracy (NLD) will not try register with the Myanmar junta as a political party, as reported earlier.

Tun Myint, a member of the NLD Central Working Committee, outlined the NLD’s stance after the second Interim Central Committee regular meeting on 21 March 2023, noting the junta is illegal, as is the current UEC.

The junta UEC opened registration for political parties for three months, beginning from 26 January. That should have meant that any parties wanting to register should have done so by 26 March, but the UEC extended the deadline until 28 March because of bank holidays.

All political parties need to register by 28 March. Even ones that were previously registered have to re-register.

Any parties that are not registered or re-registered by then will be declared illegal and will have to dissolve.