The severe new regulation on political parties that Myanmar’s military, which took control in a coup over two years ago, has unveiled is likely to cause more concerns about the integrity of the elections that are scheduled for August.
The bill, which repeals laws from 2010, prohibits parties and candidates from supporting people or groups that have been “identified as conducting terrorism crimes” or are otherwise regarded to be “illegal.”
Additionally, in order to run in the national election, a party must have 100 million Myanmar kyat ($45,500) in funding, which is 100 times more than before, and at least 100,000 members within three months of registering. Depositing the funds to the government-run Myanma Economic Bank is required.
The law, which Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of the coup, signed, was published in Myanmar’s official Global New Light on Friday.
Following an election in which Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won by a landslide, the military imprisoned her and took control on February 1, 2021.
The generals asserted that the poll was rigged without providing any supporting data. International observers of the 2020 election in November concluded that it was mainly free and fair.
Aung San Suu Kyi, who is still incredibly well-liked, has been imprisoned for more than 30 years as a result of covert investigations into allegations ranging from embezzlement to illegally possessing walkie-talkies. President Win Myint, who was impeached, and other senior members of her party have also been tried and imprisoned.
The military first declared it would hold new elections within a year amid strong worldwide criticism of the coup and sanctions from the US and other nations. Then it went back on its word and stated that they will happen between February and August 2023.
According to the new law, any existing party must submit an application for registration within two months after the announcement of the legislation or it will be “automatically nullified.” In the event that a party violates the new law, it may also be suspended for three years and then dissolved.
The law further states that parties are not permitted to appeal registration decisions made by the electoral commission.
After the military brutally suppressed anti-coup demonstrations, people in Myanmar’s border regions took up guns and joined forces with ethnic armed groups, precipitating a political crisis.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a civil society organization keeping track of the crackdown, the military has been responsible for killing close to 3,000 individuals since taking control.
With organizations fighting against the military being labeled as “terrorists,” thousands more people have been jailed.
