Parties ‘consult’ to avoid overlap
August 30 - September 5, 2010
DEMOCRATIC parties have not yet reached a formal alliance but said last week they had “consulted” before submitting candidate lists to the Union Election Commission to avoid fielding candidates against each other.
Leaders of the National Democratic Force (NDF), Democratic Party (Myanmar) and Union Democratic Party (UDP) said by cooperating they were trying to make the most of their limited time and money.
“We have not formed an alliance. We’re just consulting to avoid needless confrontation between parties that share a common belief in democracy and to avoid spreading the votes around amongst each other and making each other too weak to be elected,” said U Khin Maung Swe, one of the founders of the NDF.
“There can only be one winner in each constituency, but there can potentially be a lot of losers. We are trying to maximise the number of constituencies that the parties can conceivably win,” he said.
U Thein Htay, chairman of the UDP, said the parties were in “close communication” over the registering of candidates.
“Now that we are having to make do with meagre political funds, the parties are not in a position to make any grand plans.
Time is also running out,” U Thein Htay said. “If we leave vacancies in constituencies it will leave that seat to a candidate from [the Union Solidarity and Development Party]. The party has ample funds so would most likely win the seat as a result of its financial clout.”
He said the party’s Central Executive Committee had decided to field just three candidates in the election, the minimum number required to avoid deregistration.
“We are doing what we can for the survival of the party, rather than for winning the election,” he said. “Our party will field candidates in Hlaing Tharyar, Tarmwe and Bago constituencies and we are going to campaign in cooperation with the NDF. In Tarmwe and Hlaing Tharyar we’ll run for the Pyithu Hluttaw and in Bago our candidate will stand for the Amyotha Hluttaw.”
U Thu Wai, chairman of the Democratic Party, said there had been “some difficulties” when negotiating which constituencies parties would register candidates for.
“Our objective is not to compete in the same constituency but in practice some candidates don’t have [K500,000] for the candidate registration fee or don’t want to shift from the constituency where they believe they have support. It’s not easy to avoid doubling up in some constituencies,” the 77-year-old party leader said.
“We are preparing to register more than 100 candidates in 40 townships, including some of our party’s senior members,” said U Thu Wai, who will compete in Mingalar Taung Nyunt.
