The Mon Unity Party (MUP) will decide on the issue of party registration at the central committee meeting to be held in the second week of February. ‌
The SAC Military Council has enacted a new law stipulating that all existing political parties must re-register within 60 days. Those that do not re-register will be automatically dissolved.
The Mon Unity Party is in a position to re-register, and that decision will be approved at the next central committee meeting, according to the Party spokesperson Nai Than Shwe.
“Of course we have to re-register the party, but we have to take the decision to the central committee meeting. After a consultation with everyone, we will determine if we should re-register,” he said.
The new military edict also stipulates that if a party wants to organize throughout the Union, it must organize at least 100,000 members and have 1000,000,000 kyat in party funds within 90 days from the date of registration as a political party.
If a political party plans to solely organize within one region or state, the party must organize at least 1,000 members, and there must be proof of party funds in the amount of 100,000,000 Kyats, opened in a Myanmar commercial bank.
The new law on registration of political parties enacted by the Military Council is making it difficult for the Mon Unity Party to register, Nai Than Shwe added.
“If we want to compete in Karen State, similarly if we want to compete in Tanintharyi Division, Yangon, and Bago, it will be difficult, because our population is scattered, this is a difficulty,” he said.
The new military legislation further states that if it is a party to be organized throughout the Union, it must open a party in at least half of all townships throughout the Union within 180 days from the date of registration as a political party.
If it is a party that will organize only within a region or state, it is stipulated that party offices will be opened in at least 5 townships of all townships in that region or state within 180 days from the date of registration as a political party.
It is also stipulated that if a party is organized only within a region or state, the party is not allowed to continue standing unless it competes in at least one constituency, including the ethnic Hluttaw representative constituency within the region or state to be organized in the election.
The Mon Unity Party is an ethnic party that won 12 representatives for various parliaments in the last 2020 election.
