Myanmar may postpone landmark November poll due to floods
Myanmar’s election commission held a meeting on Tuesday morning with major political parties to discuss a postponement of an election scheduled for November 8 due to flooding, a government official and a politician present at the meeting told Reuters.
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.
The Union Election Commission, in a two-hour meeting with 10 of the biggest political parties, floated the idea of postponing the vote.
Election commission official Tin Aye cited flooding in areas of the country in June and July as the reason for proposing the delay.
Election monitors declined to comment on the situation until a final decision is reached by the election commission. Shortly after 8pm Myanmar time on October 13 media run by Myanmar’s army announced that the election will proceed on November 8 as planned. Parts of western Myanmar, including the impoverished Chin state, were devastated by the disaster. “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.
“If the election date is delayed, there could be a few consequences”.
But he said the NLD and Suu Kyi vehemently opposed it while the ruling party was supportive.
More than 100 people have been killed and more than 1 million “critically affected” by the flooding in recent months, according to the government and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
“I think the UDSP is afraid [to lose] and is trying to get rid of the NLD because the NLD has potential to win everything”.
Three parties agreed to the move, with further groups abstaining and only Aung Sang Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy opposing the plan.
The vote sparked immediate anger on the Internet, with many pointing out that the 2008 referendum took place just days after Cyclone Nargis killed more than 140,000 people in Burma, which is also known as Myanmar. Postponing the vote could shake confidence in the process, analysts say, especially if a new date isn’t immediately set.
Mr Thein Sein, a former general, has been widely praised for overseeing a democratic transition after the military ceded power to a quasi-civilian government in 2011.
“The USDP has lots of money so any extended campaign will not be a problem for them”.
Massachusetts Ba Tha, an organisation led by hardline nationalist monks that has sharply criticised the NLD, has stoked religious tension.