Monday, September 12, 2011

Two RNDP MPs win in electoral lawsuits; one MP must resign

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Monday, 12 September 2011 11:17 Te Te

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) –  The Burmese Electoral Tribunal on Friday delivered verdicts in three lawsuits regarding alleged electoral malpracticed filed by the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) against three MPs of the Rakhine National Development Party (RNDP). Two MPs won, and one was ordered to resign. 

Upper House MP Kyaw Tun Aung of Pauktaw Township constituency and Rakhine State MP Maung Kyaw Thein won. Lower House MP Aung Kyaw Zan of Pauktaw Township constituency lost and will have to resign, according to a RNDP spokesperson.

“He (Aung Kyaw Zan) will be the only MP who has to resign from Parliament and it is unusual,” RNDP General- Secretary Oo Hla Saw told Mizzima. “The people who said the election was free and fair should review it. I feel that they did it with a grudge against us because we won many seats.”

On July 7, the Union Election Commission (UEC) disqualified the three RNDP elected MPs for alleged electoral malpractices, saying that they disparaged the former junta during the election campaign and strongly advocated Arakanese nationalism. The allegations were made by the USDP. The RNDP MPs filed special appeals to the Electoral Tribunal.

The rules allow for no further appeal to the Electoral Commission. However, the RNDP will hold an intra- party discussion in order to pursue legal proceedings regarding the cases.

The RNDP won 35 parliamentary seats in the 2010 general elections.

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