“Now that our party has becomes an official party, we have three months to submit [the names of] one thousand party members to the election commission. If we cannot do this, our party will automatically be dissolved and become unofficial,” said Saw Than Myint, a senior figure in the FUP.
The FUP will select its executive members by the end of January and open its main office in Rangoon. A branch office will also open in Mandalay.
“We have been gathering party members since before our party become official. Of course these were unofficial members. But now these members will become official [members],” added Saw Than Myint, who comes from the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party, one of 16 parties that joined forces to form the FUP.
The FUP claims to have gathered more than 10,000 such unofficial members from Mandalay, Rangoon, Pegu, Irrawaddy, and Magway divisions already.
The party expects to have 30 officials on the Executive Committee (EC). At present there are 19 members, including Nai Chan Htoy (former New Mon State Party joint-secretary) and Nai Khin Maung a party representative from Mon State representative.
Nai Chan Htoy another party representative from Mon state said the party will announce more of its plans after the full EC meets later this month.
Comprised of 16 parties from the Nationalities Brotherhood Federation (NBF), the FUP’s chief objective is to contest seats in the 2015 elections in regions where no ethnic party is based. Papers for the party’s registration were first submitted to the election commission last August.
