The Myanmar navy and the insurgent Arakan Military, observing a short lived truce in a two-year-long struggle, should attain a “stable” safety assure earlier than elections might be held in elements of Rakhine state the place elections officers suspended voting in November, a authorities spokesman mentioned Friday.
Zaw Htay, spokesman for the President’s Workplace, advised RFA that the navy had not but offered such a assure to the Union Election Fee (UEC), which should resolve whether or not and when to carry the balloting.
Myanmar’s navy, backing a requirement of the AA amid the delicate cease-fire, known as on Thursday for elections to be held by Feb. 1 in strife-torn elements of Rakhine and Shan states the place voting had been cancelled earlier than the Nov. 8 common elections for safety causes. Newly elected lawmakers will take their seats in parliament firstly of February and start a brand new legislative session.
Although the federal government is prepared to carry voting in 9 Rakhine townships the place elections had been canceled, a stable settlement between the warring armies is required, Zaw Htay mentioned throughout a press convention in Naypyidaw
“As for the federal government, we would like the elections to occur, however they can’t be held as it’s now,” he mentioned. “There are processes that must be accomplished, [and] in an effort to full these particular processes, we want stable agreements.”
Honest circumstances for all candidates and events and voting rights for civilians displaced by armed battle are also being considered for elections to be held, the spokesman mentioned.
“Securing the bilateral cease-fire settlement and signing it contain completely different points,” Zaw Htay mentioned.
Time shall be required to designate a marketing campaign interval for candidates, to rearrange voting in struggle displaced refugee camps, to conduct voting in districts the place balloting was canceled, and to rearrange safety, he mentioned.
“After we tackle these points, step-by-step, then we are able to maintain the elections beneath the settlement,” he mentioned.
The federal government and the UEC are nonetheless negotiating with the AA, Zaw Htay added.
Myanmar navy spokesmen weren’t obtainable for remark.
As much as the federal government, UEC
In response to Zaw Htay’s feedback, AA spokesman Khine Thukha mentioned the difficulty of holding elections in Rakhine state is totally as much as the federal government and the UEC as a result of the AA already acknowledged publicly that it’s going to assure safety throughout voting.
“Whether or not or not the election plans go ahead relies upon solely on the federal government and the UEC,” he mentioned. “We already introduced that we are going to assure security-related points as a lot as we are able to.”
“On the identical time, the Myanmar navy additionally introduced that it needs election plans to maneuver ahead,” he mentioned. “Now, you’ll be able to see who’s delaying plans for the election.”
Zaw Htay mentioned the federal government is also negotiating with the members of the Northern Alliance of insurgent armies that features the AA, Kachin Independence Military, Ta’ang Nationwide Liberation Military, and Myanmar Nationwide Democratic Alliance Military, to satisfy for peace talks in both Myitkyina, capital of Kachin state, or the city of Kengtung in Shan state throughout the second week of January.
The federal government has despatched a draft bilateral cease-fire settlement containing a safety assure to the Northern Alliance as a prerequisite for holding make-up elections, he mentioned.
Khine Thukha mentioned the date and time of the assembly had not but been confirmed.
Pe Than, a Rakhine state lawmaker from the Arakan Nationwide Occasion, mentioned the federal government is procrastinating over the holding elections as a result of it has no motivation for doing so.
“We at the moment are in January, [and] the brand new parliamentary periods are about to start,” he mentioned. “They’re nonetheless speaking about negotiations for the elections.”
Zaw Htay additionally mentioned that the federal government will transfer ahead with plans to type a brand new authorities and that there can be no issues with the transition, regardless of authorized challenges filed by military-linked political events that haven’t acknowledged the results of the elections received by a landslide by the ruling Nationwide League for Democracy (NLD).
The Union Solidarity and Growth Occasion (USDP) and the Democratic Occasion of Nationwide Politics (DNP) have accused the NLD authorities and the UEC of electoral fraud and have filed a joint grievance with the Supreme Court docket. An preliminary listening to will happen on Jan.29.
Reported by Thiha Tun and Thet Su Aung for RFA’s Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.