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Junta registers political party to contest election
Irrawaddy - April 30, 2010
Wai Moe – Burmese Prime Minister Thein Sein and other key members of the ruling junta have registered a political party to contest the upcoming general election.
State-run media reported on Thursday evening that Thein Sein and 26 other leaders had registered the party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), at the Union Election Commission earlier that day. The 26 other party leaders were not identified but are known to be current ministers and deputy ministers.
The registration of the USDP is the junta's first active entry into Burmese politics in two decades.
The new party's title appears to be derived from the name of the junta's mass organization, the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA).
Thein Sein, junta leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe, and other key regime members such as Vice Snr-Gen Maung Aye, Gen Shwe Mann and Gen Tin Aung Myint Oo are members of the USDA Central Panel of Patrons. A further 25 ministers, deputy ministers and mayors are members of the USDA central executive committee and secretariat.
"USDA leaders except four patrons seem to have transformed the mass organization into a political party," said a USDA source in Rangoon, speaking on condition of anonymity. The USDA claims it has more than 24 million members across the country.
It is not clear whether Thein Sein and the 26 leaders of the new party will resign their current government positions.
If they fail to do so, they will transgress a key election law, Article 4 of the Political Party Registration Law, which bars any government staff from political party leadership.
State-run newspapers on Friday still described Thein Sein as prime minister and carried no news about possible resignations.
Political observers in Rangoon say they expect important news in coming days about new government appointments.
Friday's state-run newspapers reported that Thein Sein and Rangoon Mayor Aung Thein Lin attended the opening on Thursday of a cement factory in Thazi, near Mandalay, along with another key USDA leader Aung Thaung, the minister of Industry 1.
On Monday, Burma's war office ordered the retirement of Thein Sein and Aung Thein Lin from their military positions, along with 20 other senior officials.
Commenting on Friday on the registration of the USDP, Win Tin, a veteran leader of the opposition National League for Democracy, told The Irrawaddy the move represents an attempt by the junta to prolong its rule.
"Some said the election shows the military junta is preparing to withdraw from politics systematically, but what I see is that the generals are systematically trying to keep power with legitimacy," Win Tin said. "Prime Minster Thein Sein's formation of a new party is a good example."
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