Junta greenlights Rakhine Nationalities Party as opposition parties boycott elections

Myanmar’s military junta has approved the formation of a new political party, the Rakhine Nationalities Party (RNP), state-run media reported on June 9, according to sources. State-run newspapers reported on June 10 that the newly approved RNP must register with the junta-controlled Union Election Commission within 30 days. Major parties that won in previous elections, including the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) and the National League for Democracy (NLD), have refused to register under the military’s electoral process. The military junta seized power in a coup in 2021 after alleging widespread fraud in the 2020 elections, which were decisively won by the NLD. The new party will be led by Ba Shein, a former Kyaukpyu Township lawmaker and senior figure in the influential Arakan National Party (ANP). The ANP party, which won most of the Rakhine State constituencies in the 2015 and 2020 general elections, was denied registration permission by the junta on the grounds that it did not comply with the provisions of Article 7 of the Political Parties Registration Law. Ba Shein has since applied to form the Rakhine Nationalities Party (RNP) and is preparing to contest elections organized by the junta. A source close to the ANP told Myanmar Now that the new party may include some grassroots ANP members and Rakhine businessmen from Kyaukpyu and Yangon, but senior ANP leaders—such as chairperson Thar Tun Hla, Tun Aung Kyaw, and Khin Saw Wai—are not involved. "The chairperson, general secretary, vice-chairperson, other CEC (Central Executive Committee) members, and Daw Khin Saw Wai are not included,” the source said. “Some estimated that about 18 people from (ANP) are participating. We don't know exactly. U Ba Shein hasn't contacted the aforementioned source yet either.” The Arakan Front Party (AFP), led by Dr. Aye Maung, along with the Rakhine State National Unity Party (RSNUP) and the Khami National Development Party, have already been granted permission to form parties ahead of the junta-organized elections scheduled for December. All three plan to contest seats representing Rakhine State. With only three towns in Rakhine State still under junta control, it remains unclear whether elections can actually be held there, veteran Rakhine politician Pe Than told Myanmar Now."The election law doesn't specify what percentage must be met for elections to be successful, or how many townships must participate for it to be successful,” he said. “But an election should be one where everyone can participate, where the majority can participate. Only then will it represent Rakhine and be successful.” If the junta sets up ballot boxes only in the few towns it controls, it could claim victory with minimal turnout, or even arrange voting for Rakhine people living elsewhere, Pe Than added. He pointed out that either way, such an election would be purely symbolic, meant only to create the appearance of legitimacy. Pe Than, a former People's Assembly representative, explained that years of political stagnation in Rakhine State during two parliamentary terms have led many people to lose faith in party politics and turn instead toward armed struggle."The current armed revolution has been successful to a certain extent. People are interested in how politics will change regarding the Arakan Army (AA) gaining the remaining three towns,” he said.“At this time, we are fully confident. Parliamentary politics is weak. Under their 2008 constitution, we don't have the situation to make the changes we want or to negotiate with the other side.”He said that relying on parliamentary politics could weaken public awareness and potentially harm the revolution, adding that it might also create friction between parties pursuing elections and the United League of Arakan (ULA) and its armed wing, the AA. In Rakhine State, the AA has seized 14 out of 17 townships. The junta troops only control Kyaukpyu, Manaung town and Sittwe. After the military junta enacted the Political Parties Registration Law on January 26, 2023, under Article 419 of the Constitution, it ordered all parties to re-register with the Union Election Commission (UEC) within 60 days. Political parties have since been submitting their applications, which the commission is reviewing. On August 5, 2024, the commission rejected the Democratic Party for a New Society and the Zomi Congress for Democracy, following an earlier rejection of the Chin People’s Party on May 14. The major parties—the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) and the National League for Democracy (NLD)—refused to register for the junta’s elections. The military junta seized power after alleging that the voter lists in the 2020 elections, which the NLD won, were fraudulent. Junta’s Union Election Commission announced on June 9 that 17 political parties have been granted establishment permits, and the commission continues to review applications for registration permits for remaining parties.A meeting between the military junta’s commission and approved political parties was held on August 24 last year. “So, we believe that if we gain strength through the Arakan Army as the only armed force in the entire Rakhine State, making it a territory free of military councils, we can then engage in political negotiations,” Pe Than said. “Through this approach, we hope to achieve high-level federalism or, if necessary, confederalism.” Approved political parties met on August 24, 2024, to discuss the upcoming elections.(Photo: Junta Ministry of Information).

Junta greenlights Rakhine Nationalities Party as opposition parties boycott elections

The Rakhine Nationalities Party, led by a former ANP figure, prepares for elections overshadowed by armed conflict and political division

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