Arakan News Agency
The military council in Myanmar has started its preparations to conduct elections in three cities of Arakan State: Sittwe, Kyaukphyu, and Manaung, which are the only areas still under its control.
Local sources reported that the Myanmar military council organized training on the use of electronic voting devices in a hall in Sittwe city under the supervision of the Arakan State Military Council’s election sub-committee.
These preparations come at a time when the Arakan Army controls 14 out of 17 cities in the state, limiting the elections to those three cities only under the control of the ruling military council in Myanmar.
In the upcoming state-level elections, two main parties are competing: the Rakhine National Party (RNP) led by U Pa Shin and the Arakan Front Party (AFP) headed by Aye Maung.
On the other hand, the Myanmar military council’s election committee refused to register the Rakhine National Party (ANP), which is considered one of the prominent political forces in the state, despite its previous victories in all state-level elections.
Last March, the Myanmar military council announced that general elections planned for December and January will be conducted in four phases, marking the first since the military coup in February 2021, following a series of promises to hold them.
The general elections in Myanmar include electing the parliament or the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, which consists of the House of Representatives (Pyithu Hluttaw), whose members are elected from various constituencies, and the House of Nationalities (Amyotha Hluttaw), whose members are elected from different states and regions. According to the 2008 constitution, the military appoints 25% of the members of both houses.
After electing the parliament, the president is chosen from among three candidates and forms the government with the military retaining control over the sovereign ministries: Defense, Interior, Border Affairs, in addition to having the veto power over any constitutional amendments due to its 25% share in parliament.
