Week 23: 2010 Election Watch (10-16 August)

By Altsean-Burma • August 18, 2010

Developments

The SPDC Election Commission set the election date for 7 November and also established a two-week filing period that ends on 30 August for political parties to submit their list of candidates for review and approval.
The SPDC Election Commission designated constituencies for the National and Regional Parliaments.
SNDP Chairman Ai Pao filed a complaint to the SPDC Election Commission regarding the surveillance of party organizers on their recruiting trips by SPDC security personnel.
SPDC officials in Rangoon’s Hlaing Tharyar Township questioned residents who had met with party organizers from the Union of Myanmar Federation of National Politics and 88 Generation Student Youths (Union of Myanmar).
The Kayin State Democracy and Development Party filed registration papers to participate in the upcoming elections. To date, a total of 47 parties – 42 new parties and five existing parties – have filed registration applications.

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Reactions

Several parties criticized the limited amount of time for political parties to submit their list of candidates. Union Democracy Party Chairman (UDP) Thein Htay said the SPDC Election Commission “purposely planned [the two-week candidate registration period] to cause inconvenience.” He said the UDP would pull out of the election if it is not “a free and fair one.” Democratic Party (Myanmar) Chairman Thu Wai said that the hurdles and problems [the party faces] are much larger than […] expected.”
NLD Vice-Chairman Tin Oo said that “[SPDC officials] are going to hold the election before the release of Aung San Suu Kyi because they want to marginalize her from any activities.”
UN Sec-Gen Ban Ki-moon reiterated his call for the SPDC “to honor their publicly stated commitments to hold inclusive, free, and fair elections.
US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said that the elections “cannot be inclusive or credible under current circumstances,” and that the US was “concerned about the lack of a level playing field and the oppressive political environment.”
UK Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Jerry Browne said that the elections “are set to be held under deeply oppressive conditions designed to perpetuate military rule.”

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This post is in: 2010 Elections

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