Week 16: 2010 Election Watch (22-28 June)

Developments

• The SPDC Election Commission issued Directive 2/2010, which imposes severe restrictions on the political parties’ freedom of expression, assembly, and movement.
• Directive 2/2010 requires parties that want to hold gatherings outside their own headquarters to apply for permission a week in advance from the local Election Sub-commission. In addition, parties that want to hold gatherings at their headquarters or branches must notify the Election Sub-commissions seven days in advance and speakers must be approved.
• Directive 2/2010 prohibits political parties from chanting slogans, marching or carrying flags as part of their rallies.
• Directive 2/2010 says political parties cannot give speeches or publish materials that “tarnish” the image of the state and the armed forces, criticize the constitution, or harm “security and community peace.”
• The SPDC issued new restrictions that prohibit media outlets from including political reports in the last-minute news. The editor of the Monitor journal said that the SPDC censorship would get “worse than before.”
• SPDC authorities warned Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s lawyer Nyan Win not to relay Daw Suu’s opinions about the upcoming elections to media outlets.

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Reactions

• 88 Generation Student Youths (Union of Myanmar) Chairman Ye Tun said “political parties will be in a tight corner” because of SPDC Election Commission Directive 2/2010.
• Union of Myanmar Federation of National Politics Chairman Aye Lwin called the new directive “childish”. “Political parties are official organizations so they should have the right to use their flags freely,” he said.
• Kachin State Progressive Party Secretary Tu Raw expressed his frustration that the SPDC Election Commission had delayed the KSPP’s party registration. “We feel upset. We feel that we don’t get equal rights. There is no equality,” he said.

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This post is in: 2010 Elections