Narinjara News, 6 May 2023

The Union Election Commission (UEC) under the Military Councilhas allowed four political parties basedin Rakhine State to get registeredas political parties.

Those parties include Arakan Front Party (AFP), Rakhine State National Party (RSNP) and Mro Ethnic Party (MEP) and Khami National DevelopmentParty (KNDP).

According to the military regime-controlled media outlets, AFP and RSNP were approved by the electionauthority on 2 May, MEPon 4 May and KNDP on 5 May.

The new UEC laws include that the political parties expecting representations in the State anddivision level should have at least 1,000members within 90 days.

“As a political party representing the State and division level, we have to mobilize one thousand peoplewithin three months and then submitto the election authority. We have to strengthen our party," said AFP secretary U U Tun Thein.

For the party intended to contest in national elections, it must mobilize 1,00,000 members within 90days.

Moreover, those political parties in union level will have to open a bank account with Kyats one hundred million depositin a recognized commercial bank.For the parties in the region or State level, they have to open the bank account with Kyats tenmillion.

Arakan National Party (ANP) is yet to be granted permission for registration by the UEC.

ANP chairman U Tha Tun Hla confirmed that his party is yet to be registered.

Arakan League for Democracy (ALD) has not applied for the same. Similarly, Kaman National ProgressiveParty (KNPP) and Dinette People'sProgressive Party (DPPP) of Rakhine State decided not to apply for registration.

The election authority released the new rules on 26 January and asked the parties to apply forreregistration. It also stated that those not entertaining the new rules within two months, their registrationwill beautomatically canceled as political parties.

On 28 March, the election authority revealed that more than 60 political parties had applied forregistration under the new rules. Moreover,40 political parties, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi led National League for Democracy (NLD) was disbanded.