Myanmar’s election commission has asked the country’s top political parties to postponenext month’s election, citing concerns that flooding could prevent people from voting, local media reported.
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A few observers believe that the smaller ethnic parties could collectively play an influential role in a future parliament expected to be dominated by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy and the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party.
Union Election Commission Chairman Tin Aye had proposed in a meeting with political parties earlier Tuesday that the parliamentary election be postponed either nationwide or in a few areas hit by monsoon rains.
“Support for Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD seems to be mounting extensively throughout the country and that’s why they [the ruling party] would like to postpone the election and take more time to prepare their own strategy to secure seats in parliament”, said Dr Yan Myo Thein, an analyst.
“We invited political parties to get their opinions”.
As the election commission was floating its postponement suggestion with party representatives in the capital, Naypyitaw, NLD candidates Nay Phone Latt, Shwe Hla Win, Myat Nyana Soe and Maung Maung Oo were on the campaign trail in Thingyangun in north-central Yangon. There was an exchange of views but no voting on the matter, the two politicians said.
Myanmar election authorities have confirmed that landmark polls will go ahead on November 8 after the opposition rejected official calls for the vote to be postponed due to widespread flooding. Parts of western Myanmar, including the impoverished Chin state, were devastated by the disaster.
“The NLD objected as the excuse was lame”, Win Htein told The Irrawaddy.
Win Htein said that the NLD objected to the proposal because the former military regime sent the nation to the polls in May 2008 to approve the country’s Constitution, the week after Cyclone Nargis made landfall in the Irrawaddy Delta and killed an estimated 140,000 people.
Eight rebel groups have agreed to sign on, but not the Kachin Independence Army, which has seen ongoing clashes with the military since the breakdown of a 17-year ceasefire in 2011.
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The NLD was the only party to oppose the move, while the remaining 3, the Arakan National Party, National Unity Party and National Democratic Force did not come down on either side. “So the commission has to consider this when deciding whether to postpone or not”, said No Than Kap, who is standing for the Chin Progressive Party.
