The Irrawaddy Burma Election 2010

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DPP Calls for Dissolution of USDP

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The Democracy and Peace Party (DPP) says it has called on the Union Election Commission (EC) to dissolve the junta's Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and not to recognize its candidates who won seats in parliament.

“The USDP is still carrying out activities that are not in accordance with the law. That's why we have requested the EC to dissolve it and also not to recognize the winning USDP candidates who are responsible for such activities,” DPP chairman Aung Than told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday.

He said the DPP submitted an official request to the EC chairman on Sunday and copies were sent to election commissions in different areas and other political parties.

“It depends on the EC whether it will pay attention to our request. If it doesn't, we will join other political parties and continue our call. We will also hold a press conference to stress this issue,” said Aung Than.

The DPP is the first political party that has called for the dissolution of the USDP. Other parties have called for an investigation into vote rigging and other election frauds.

“According to the EC's Political Parties Registration Law (PPRL), the USDP is the type of party that shouldn't have the right to be register as a political party. That's why we have asked for its dissolution,” Aung Than said.

Article 7 of the PPRL states that any organization that accepts and uses directly or indirectly money, buildings, vehicles or property owned by the State shall not have the right to apply for registration as a political party.

“We knew what the USDP was doing even before the election. Htay Oo, incumbent minister and secretary-general of the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), said the USDP was spawned by the USDA. But, there has been no official statements about how the USDP exists or if the USDA was dissolved, although the election result has already been declared. That's why we have come up with this call,” said Aung Than.

He said nine DPP candidates contested the election and some of them knew by Sunday evening that they had won in their constituencies, but the next morning they were informed that they had lost.

A number of candidates who contested the poll told The Irrawaddy that the USDP had used various means including collecting advance votes to win over its rivals and ensure an election victory.

“There were advance votes, over 29,000 lost votes and over 20,000 invalid votes in Pegu city alone. I know what invalid ballots mean, but I am not sure about the lost ones,” said Thein Htay, the chairman of Union Democracy Party (UDP).

He said non-USDP candidates who contested in Pegu Division recently called on the EC to re-hold the election.

A candidate from the National Unity Party (NUP) who lost in the election, however, said the NUP will not reject the election result. He said the party will investigate all USDP vote rigging efforts and submit its findings to election commissions in different areas.

“The NUP will collect data related to vote rigging and submit it to the EC. We won't reject the election result like others. We will only call on the EC to make sure there will be no vote rigging again in the next election to be held five years from now,” said the candidate.

The USDP is reportedly working on the formation of the new government and the parliament.
 

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Nyan_win80"Once her [Aung San Suu Kyi's] sentence expires in November, and that notion is not disputed, it is our understanding that she will have served her sentence."
—Nyan Win, the foreign minister of Burma

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