Myanmar’s military junta, which seized power in early 2021 in a coup, has passed a new law that will make it much more difficult for any new parties or candidates to stand in elections due to be held next August. The law requires parties wishing to stand for election to have at least 100,000 registered members within three months of registration and funds of at least 100 million kyat, the currency of Myanmar (corresponding to about 45,500 dollars), i.e. a hundred times more than provided by the previous laws.
The law also prohibits parties and candidates from having links with individuals and organizations considered illegal or terrorist: vague definitions in which the military junta seems to be able to include anyone it considers a formidable political enemy, or in any case anyone it wants to exclude from elections for any reason. The same restrictions will also apply to any existing parties, and the junta will have the right to dissolve them if they do not respect the impositions, even if the political opposition in Myanmar has been systematically repressed since the coup. Aung San Suu Kyi, the political leader of Myanmar who was ousted and arrested in the coup, is currently in prison with a total sentence of 33 years, on charges that have been internationally recognized as unfounded and politically motivated.
