CNI News
31 January 2026
Because of its election victory, the Shan-Ni party now has the right and responsibility to carry forward the interests of the Shan-Ni regions and the Shanni people, according to Sai Htay Aung, Chairperson of the Tai-Leng (Shanni) Nationalities Development Party (TNDP), who told CNI News.
Myanmar’s multi-party democratic general election was held in three phases beginning on December 28, 2025, and was successfully completed on January 25, 2026.
In the completed election, the TNDP—also known as the Red Tiger Party—contested in Kachin State and won a total of four seats: one seat in the Ethnic Affairs of Parliament, one seat in the Amyotha Hluttaw under the proportional representation (PR) system, and two seats in the State Hluttaw.
At present, the party has become one that can voice public interests inside parliament. Sai Htay Aung said that the party would not only work for the interests of the Shanni people but would also devote strong efforts to serving regional development, he told CNI News.
Tai-Leng (Shanni) Nationalities Development Party (TNDP) campaigning
He stated:
“I would say that our party has now become one that can speak inside parliament on behalf of the people. When we gained the opportunity to speak on these matters, Shanni people were extremely happy.
The reason is that throughout different eras, we had never won before in Kachin State, despite contesting three elections. This time, our representatives have won.
Because our party was established not only to serve Shanni ethnic interests but also to work for regional interests, we will now be able to strongly advocate for regional development inside parliament.
We have already discussed and decided, even before the election, that we will work in a balanced manner both inside and outside parliament. That is why Shanni people are happy to finally have representatives from our party. They place their trust in us.
We will strive to become representatives worthy of the trust and expectations that the public has placed in us.”
TNDP Chairperson Sai Htay Aung
The Red Tiger Party received official registration on May 10, 2013, during the civilian government era, and has continued to exist as a Kachin State–based political party up to the present.
Sai Htay Aung said that because civilians have suffered significant losses amid ongoing armed conflicts, peace would be his party’s top priority. He added that if peace is achieved in Kachin State, more than half of Myanmar could potentially attain peace.
He explained:
“Kachin State has always been part of our party’s agenda. If peace is achieved in Kachin State, more than half of Myanmar could become peaceful.
In reality, our party’s presence in parliament is still limited, with only two MPs. However, the Kachin State People’s Party (KSPP) has also won seats in both the Amyotha Hluttaw and the Pyithu Hluttaw.
If Kachin parties and our party can increase their presence in parliament and engage in broader discussions, we believe that many of the current armed conflict issues can be resolved.
In the past, Kachin State relied heavily on rail transport, but the railway has been unusable for a long time. If train services resume, commodity prices will fall. We want to raise these issues in parliament and work to improve transportation infrastructure.
For the railway to operate again, peace is essential. That is why peace is already included as our number-one priority in the party’s agenda. We will work with full dedication to achieve peace.
As a party, we will strive to ensure that the voices of the people can be heard inside parliament.
There are also many corrupt or irresponsible officials operating within the democratic system amid armed conflicts. Because of these officials, public resentment toward the state continues to grow. When such situations arise, we will speak out without hesitation.
As a region-based party, we will work to ensure that individuals who exploit the region for personal gain, without benefiting the local population, are held accountable under the law.”
In Kachin State, clashes continue between the Myanmar military (Tatmadaw) and KIA-PDF forces. In neighboring Sagaing Region, which borders Kachin State, KIA-PDF forces have also been conducting town-seizure operations.
During the election period, KIA-PDF forces also carried out disruptions and attacks aimed at obstructing the election process.
In Myanmar’s recently completed election, a total of 57 political parties—six union-level parties and 51 regional or state-level parties—along with 4,863 independent candidates, contested the election.
It has been announced that parliament will be convened in March and a new government will be formed in April. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing stated that state power would be transferred to the party that won the election.
