BANGKOK —
Myanmar’s ruling junta has moved
to restrict political parties from meeting foreigners or international
organizations ahead of an election expected next year.
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The Southeast Asian nation has been plunged into
turmoil and its economy is in tatters since a February 2021 coup which ousted
Aung San Suu Kyi’s government.
The military alleged widespread voter fraud during
November 2020 polls which Suu Kyi’s
National League for Democracy (NLD) party won in a landslide, although international observers said the election was
largely free and fair.
The junta-stacked Union Election Commission said
Friday that the country’s 92 registered political parties would have to ask for
permission if they wished to meet foreign organizations or individuals.
“Political parties need to respect the law. If they
fail to do so their party’s registration will be dissolved,” the commission
said in a statement.
The body also accused foreign embassies and
international non-governmental organizations of interfering in the 2020 polls
resulting in fraud.
Political parties in Myanmar were scathing of the
new edict.
Former NLD lawmaker Soe Thura Tun said it was
undemocratic and did not respect the right to freedom of association.
“It’s not appropriate to restrict them (political
parties),” he told AFP Saturday.
Ko Ko Gyi, chair of the People’s Party, said the
announcement was unprecedented and did not bode well for the prospects of
Myanmar’s next election being a genuine exercise in democracy.
“We believe that their action will cause major
damage to the Myanmar people and international community’s trust in the
upcoming election and democratic system,” he told AFP on Saturday.
Last week, US Secretary of State
Antony Blinken
urged the international community to reject the junta’s “sham elections”
planned for next year.
Earlier this month, the junta extended a state of
emergency by six months saying elections could only take place when the
conflict-wracked country was “stable and peaceful”.
It has previously said elections would be held and
the state of emergency lifted by August 2023 — extending the initial one-year
timeline it announced days after the coup.
Last year, it cancelled the results of the 2020
polls, saying it had uncovered more than 11 million instances of alleged voter
fraud.
Suu Kyi has been
detained since the coup and faces an eclectic raft of charges that could see
her jailed for more than 150 years.
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