YANGON: A total of 77 political parties have applied for registration as of the deadline. Of those, 56 parties have been approved to date, according to the Union Election Commission (UEC).
With general elections scheduled for December this year, the UEC had previously announced on April 8 that all applications to establish or re-register political parties must be submitted by May 9. This was to allow enough time for political parties to prepare for election-related activities and campaign efforts.
Between the announcement and the May 9 deadline, 77 parties submitted applications. Among them, 27 parties applied under Article 3 of the Political Parties Registration Law (to establish new parties), while 50 parties applied under Article 25 (for continuation or re-registration), the UEC stated.
The UEC is currently reviewing the remaining applications to determine eligibility for party formation.
Although 56 parties have been officially registered so far, only 54 are currently recognised due to the cancellation of registration for the Shan State Kokang Democratic Party (on November 20, 2023) and the Mro Ethnic Party (on November 22, 2023).
The UEC also revealed plans to hold elections in 267 townships nationwide. The 2025 general elections will implement a mixed voting system: both the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) system and Proportional Representation (PR) will be used.
Elections will be organised in phases based on regional conditions. The exact dates for each phase will be announced later, depending on the local security situation. Elections will proceed only in townships deemed secure at the time of announcement. Townships unable to participate will also be publicly identified.
The FPTP and PR systems will apply to elections for the Upper House, Lower House and State/Regional Hluttaws. Relevant electoral laws and bylaws are currently being drafted and will be announced once finalised.
Electronic voting machines using a microcontroller system will be deployed for the elections. The UEC claims the system is simple, secure, and reliable.
The commission is also working to align the election laws and procedures with the reformed voting system to ensure voters in each constituency can elect their respective parliamentary representatives accordingly. - Eleven Media/ANN
