Myanmar election commission rejects 13 political parties' accusation on 3 key political figures

Myanmar's Union Election Commission on Thursday rejected an accusation by 13 political parties on three noted figures of breaking laws for using state media to campaign for last month's by-election.

In its press release issued in Nay Pyi Taw, the commission clarified that using the state media by government leaders or election winning party to get the country's people informed of their one-year accomplishment, is regarded as merely a traditional act, which coincided with the time of by-election in April this year.

The coincidence seemed to give rise to the protest by the 13 political parties, the commission concluded, adding that it would take no action on the charge.

The protest against State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, Patron of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) U Tin Oo and Secretary of NLD Central Executive Committee U Win Htein, was lodged by a total of 13 political parties, led by former ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) in a letter to the commission on May 9.

The three were accused of breaking the constitution, party registration law and rules and regulations of the Election Law respectively and demanding for taking action against them.

In the April by-election, the NLD, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, won nearly half number of parliamentary seats. Endit