Irrawaddy-Sept 16
More than 20 senior Myanmar regime figures – including sitting ministers, top generals, and retired officers — will join the military’s proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) at junta boss Min Aung Hlaing’s instruction to contest the December elections, according to military sources. Military insiders say more senior officers are expected to become election candidates. USDP chairman Khin Yi said earlier this month that retired military personnel “understand national defense, security, and internal stability”, know “the dynamics of internal insurgency”, and can work with the Tatmadaw (Myanmar military) to maintain order. He described the party as experienced in both governance and opposition, and already contributing significantly to “peace and stability” nationwide. The USDP — dominated by former generals — suffered heavy defeats to the National League for Democracy (NLD) in the 2015 and 2020 general elections, losing even in its stronghold of Naypyitaw. The junta’s Union Election Commission has abandoned any attempt to hold voting in vast areas where the regime has lost control. These include 121 constituencies across Kachin, Karenni, Shan, Chin, and Rakhine states, as well as parts of Sagaing, Magwe, and Mandalay regions—areas either engulfed in conflict or controlled by resistance groups and ethnic armed organizations. Candidate registration closes on September 22. The USDP’s candidate list is once again expected to be dominated by generals. In 2010, USDP lawmakers joined forces with military appointees—who control 25 percent of parliamentary seats under the constitution—to elect ex-general Thein Sein as president. Junta boss Min Aung Hlaing is expected to follow suit to claim presidential legitimacy after the December-January election. Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/politics/ruling-generals-ministers-to-dominate-myanmar-militarys-proxy-party-candidate-list.html
