Aung San Suu Kyi’s political party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), was dissolved by the military-appointed election commission on Tuesday due to its failure to register for an upcoming general election, as reported by state television MRTV. The NLD, which has condemned the planned elections as a sham, was among 40 parties that did not meet the registration deadline.
Critics argue that the yet-to-be-scheduled elections will be neither free nor fair in a country under military rule, which has suppressed free media and detained many of Suu Kyi’s party leaders. The NLD had previously won a landslide victory in the November 2020 election, but the military prevented elected lawmakers from assuming their parliamentary roles and seized power, detaining top NLD government and party officials.
Bo Bo Oo, an elected lawmaker from the NLD, expressed the party’s refusal to accept elections held while many political leaders and activists are detained and citizens face military brutality. Suu Kyi, 77, is currently serving 33 years in prison after being convicted in several politically charged trials initiated by the military. Her supporters argue that the charges were fabricated to exclude her from political involvement.
The military justified its 2021 coup by citing widespread election fraud, although independent observers found no significant irregularities. Some critics believe that Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who orchestrated the coup and is now Myanmar’s top leader, acted out of personal political ambition.
Originally, new elections were expected by the end of July, according to the military’s plans. However, in February, the military announced a six-month extension of its state of emergency, further delaying the legal election date, citing security concerns. The military does not have control over large portions of Myanmar, with significant armed resistance to its rule.
The Brussels-based International Crisis Group think tank released a report on Tuesday stating that no election could be credible amid the ongoing state repression. Many citizens viewed the vote as an attempt to undermine the NLD’s 2020 landslide victory. The report warned that the elections would likely exacerbate post-coup conflict.
In January, the military government enacted a new political party registration law, making it challenging for opposition groups to compete against the army’s preferred candidates. The law imposes membership and candidate requirements and office conditions that would be difficult for any party without military support to meet, especially in the current repressive political climate.
The law mandated existing political parties to reapply for registration with the election commission by March 28, with failure to do so resulting in automatic invalidation and dissolution. The law also stipulates that dissolved parties must relinquish their properties to the government. The NLD rejected the law, denouncing the military-planned elections as illegal and a “sham election” and warning that any cooperation with the military in the elections would be considered high treason.
Bo Bo Oo confirmed that the NLD’s Central Working Committee decided to wait to register during a March 21 meeting. In the 2020 general election, over 90 parties were registered.
MRTV reported that 63 political parties applied for registration with the election commission this year, with 12 national and 51 at the regional or state levels. The commission has yet to approve their applications.
The NLD was founded in 1988 following a failed revolt against military rule. It won the invalidated 1990 general election and was banned after boycotting the 2010 election, held under military auspices, due to its perceived lack of fairness. The party was allowed to register when it agreed to participate in 2011 and gained power after winning the 2015 general election.
The military-appointed commission in Myanmar has dissolved Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), due to its failure to register for the upcoming general election. Critics argue that the elections will not be free or fair under military rule. The NLD won a landslide victory in the 2020 election, but the military seized power and detained many of its leaders. The new political party registration law, enacted by the military government, imposes challenging conditions for opposition groups to compete against the military’s preferred candidates.
