CNI News
8 March 2024
The amendment of the law regarding political parties by the Union Election Commission was making preparations to seize the properties of political parties kind of, Sai Leik, general secretary of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), told CNI News.
A party which is designated to be void automatically because of not re-applying for party registration or a member of a party who is not lower than the position of a central executive - if one of them broke the Sub-Subsection (4),(5),(6) or (7) of the Subsection (a) of the Section 12, the properties of the party must be deposited to the department or the organization designated by the government in accordance with the way designated, the UEC stated on 5th March, 2024.
The amendment of the law needed to verify whether a person's action represented the entire organization or not. This was not a fair law, said Sai Leik.
While seeing Sai Leik, general secretary of the SNLD party
" This law, to tell you frankly, is the one that has amended the law they stated in February. If a CEC of a party that doesn't re-register violates a law they have enacted, the property of the party will be seized, according to their law. They should review whether it's reasonable or not. They have to review whether an individual's crime or activity represents the entire organization." he said.
"In my opinion, this is not a reasonable law. No matter it was stated by the UEC or the State Administration Council (SAC), they are looking for a reason to confiscate the property of major political parties that don't re-register." he said to CNI News.
Political Parties Registration Laws and Regulations were stated by the UEC on 31st January 2023 and political parties must register within 60 days, according to the law. However, some parties including the NLD and the SNLD did not re-register.
While seeing Sr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing and leaders of political parties
There was no reason for the criticism of the amended Political Party Registration Law and they had given the list of properties that their party own, U Kyaw Aung, from the Ta'ang National Party (TNP), told CNI News.
" Our party has nothing to criticize it for the time being. As they define. We don't re-register. We have given the list of our party's property including money and office supplies. We don't want to talk about it anymore." he said.
After the UEC had told political parties to re-register, more than 40 political parties have been registered.
Sr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, chairman of the SAC said the census would be taken in 2024 and a general election would be held after which the State power would be handed over to the winning party.
