Myanmar proposes delaying Nov. 8 elections due to flooding

The opposition National League for Democracy party led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi said it is against a delay.

The general election is to be followed by a presidential election early next year when the army and the elected members of parliament will nominate a total of three candidates, and then all lawmakers will vote for the president.

Election campaign by political parties and independents have been in full swing since it started on September 8 and will end on November 6, two days before the election.

“Whether they postpone the election or not, the people are united and ready for change”, she 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. A few said the impact of the floods was a genuine concern in many areas – due not only to flood-related chaos but also the inability of many voters in those areas to turn out to vote. Parts of western Myanmar, including the impoverished Chin state, were devastated by the disaster.

Several diplomats and other analysts noted that the proposed delay – and suspicions that the ruling party or the powerful military wanted to buy time -might have worked in the NLD’s favor by further undermining trust in the USDP. Soldiers are allotted 25 percent of parliamentary seats, giving them veto power over any constitutional changes.

The election commissioner doubted whether a fair election could be held in rural areas because of the lingering effects of floods that killed more than 100 people in July and August.

She is not expected to attend the ceasefire signing, which is between the government and eight armed groups.

Government officials cited recent flooding and and civil unrest as the reasons for proposing the delay after summoning party representatives to a meeting in the capital Naypidaw on Tuesday.

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. “We said we do recognise the impact of natural disasters and the ongoing fighting”, Aye Nu Sein, vice-chairperson of the Arakan National Party said.