Myanmar opposition granted as legal political party
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Xinhua, December 13, 2011
Myanmar's main opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi, was granted re-registration as a legal political party, according to an announcement of the Union Election Commission published on official media Tuesday.
As a political comeback, the NLD registered with 21 members including U Tin Oo, Aung San Suu Kyi, U Win Tin, U Nyan Win, U Han Thar Myint, Dr. Daw May Win Myint, Daw Nan Khin Htway Myint and Daw Khin Htay Kywe, according to local sources.
The NLD had made clear earlier that it would run the upcoming by-elections by contesting in all constituencies available in the country after the party regained legal status.
For this purpose, the NLD has also formed a 21-member Committee for Winning the Election, led by U Tin Oo, to prepare for starting canvassing work for vote.
The date of the future by-elections is yet to be announced by the election commission.
There are a total of 48 parliamentary seats to be filled in the by-elections after these parliament members became government cabinet members in the last general election held on Nov. 7, 2010, local report said.
The 48 available parliamentary seats for the by-elections include 40 for the House of Representatives, six for the House of Nationalities and two for Region or State Parliament.
The fresh parliament representatives are to be elected from vacant constituencies in 10 regions or states, including six constituencies in Yangon region for the House of Representatives.
Whether Aung San Suu Kyi will run the by-elections remains to be formally announced by the NLD.
The NLD once rejected to get re-registered to enter the 2010 November general election as the then party registration law barred Aung San Suu Kyi, who was a convict then, from being a party member to run the election.
The NLD's absence from re-registration then had made it lose the legal stand as a political party.
However, due to the changing situation especially after Aung San Suu Kyi's release on Nov. 13, 2010 and the first ever dialogue between President U Thein Sein and the opposition leader on Aug. 19, 2011, the parliament made some amendments to the party registration law, removing the clause of imposition of such restriction and paving way for persons who had served a prison term, including Aung San Suu Kyi, to contest in polls.
With the re-registration grant of the NLD, the number of the existing legal political parties in Myanmar has made up a total of 44 including the six registered in the post-general election period.
The NLD first established as a legal political party in late September 1988 after the military took over the power of the state at the height of then political crisis.
The NLD once entered the multi-party general election, sponsored by the then ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council in May 1990, in which it overwhelmingly won parliamentary seats with 392 out of 485. However, the result of 1990 general election was voided under the new electoral laws for 2010 election.
In the 2010 general election, run by 37 political parties, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), led by then prime minister U Thein Sein, won the polls with a majority of 883 parliamentary seats or 76.5 percent out of a total of 1,154 at three levels.
The USDP occupied 259 seats or 79.6 percent out of 325 with the house of representatives, 129 seats or 76.7 percent out of 168 with the house of nationalities and 495 seats or 74.8 percent out of 661 with the seats of region or state parliament.
Myanmar's parliament is made up of elected parliament representatives through the general election and 25 percent military-directly-nominated representatives without going through election.
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