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Election competition in Mon State heating up

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The AMRDP's official party constitution"

Jorn, Hong Dein : Representative from the All Mon Region Democracy Party (AMRDP) say the party plans to delay sending in its Hluttaw [candidate list] as long as possible, to avoid drawing notice from government-run political groups.

According to a vice campaign organizer, the AMRDP is withholding its candidate list because it fears that early announcements of its candidates will cause the government-backed social organization called the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) to update its own candidate list, in order to be more attractive to voters this November, when the association with reportedly transforming into a political group.

The AMRDP’s claims perpetuate a string of confusing reports regarding the mysterious relationship between the USDA and the official government-backed political group in the upcoming elections, officially known as the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). As IMNA reported on August 19th, a number of news sources have claimed that the USDP has officially replaced the USDA. This has proved to be profoundly untrue along the Thai-Burma border, and indeed in many regions of Mon State, where IMNA reporters insist that the association is still very actively recruiting members, giving out association cards, and selecting “candidates” to participate in the elections. USDP party cards have not been issued at this time.

And Executive Committee member from the AMRDP referred to an earlier instance in Mon State’s Lamine Sub-Township, where he claims that a group definitively known as the USDA re-designed its candidate list for the election, after seeing that the AMRDP candidates were more popular with Lamine residents.

“On the last month, the USDA elected their candidates again, because the first candidates were not as skilled, persuasive and qualified as the Mon candidates,” he told IMNA.

Burma’s Election Commission announced in the government-controlled New Light of Myanmar news source last week that all parties still planning to run in the November 7th elections must submit their Hluttaws between August 16th and August 30th. The final date for parties to withdraw from the running is  September 3rd the ; Hluttaws will be officially announced between September 6th and September 10th.

The vice organizer from the AMRDP said that the group alternatively known as the USDA or the USDP is keeping a close watch on competing parties’ movements, out of concern for losing voters to their rivals. The AMRDP h therefore decided to delay sending in its own Hluttaw until as late as possible.

“[We] haven’t told  our candidates] yet, due to facing [potential] problems for the party, ” said the vice organizer.

IMNA reporters indicate that electoral competition is becoming increasingly fierce in Mon State, with members of the National Unity Party (NUP), which won 6 seats in Burma’s parliament in the 1990 elections, claiming that “only two” parties currently running for election will have any control within the post-election government, as other groups are “too small”.

NUP members in Mon state reportedly boasted that their own party includes  members of various ethnic groups, a fact likely to lure confused voters from ethnic minority groups into the NUP’s camp.

Despite such boasts, IMNA reporters allege that competition for voters in Mon State is still fierce; when NUP campaigners recently attempted to give Mon State voters party cards, many refused, claiming that even at this point in the electoral game, they are still “observers”.

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