Dr. Muu Thang, chair of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) for Chin State, speculated it is unlikely for any of the political parties to score a majority during the upcoming general elections.
The National League for Democracy (NLD) won a landslide victory in the 2015 election, he says, but many who voted for them aren’t happy with their performance.
“In 2015, everyone loved NLD, but that has changed,” Muu Thang says, predicting the vote will be divided when polls open on November 8.
USDP, which was headed by the former President Thein Sein, was formed by the military to contest the 2010 general election.
There are 39 constituencies in Chin State. During the 2015 general election, the NLD grabbed 28 seats, Zomi Congress for Democracy secured 6 seats and USDP won 5 seats.
The USDP will contest 37 constituencies in Chin State, says Muu Thang, explaining they won’t run in two constituencies because they want to leave room for an ethnic party that the party is cooperating with.
Ko Andrew Thatuang, from Myanmar Alliance for Transparency and Accountability – MATA, also says this year it’s impossible for one party to secure a landslide victory like in 2015. “After two general elections, people have more political experience. They know who is reliable and who is working for the people.”
He predicts there will be a coalition government in Parliament.
Some Chin parties have merged. For example, the Chin National Democratic Party, the Chin Progressive Party and the Chin League for Democracy formed the Chin National League for Democracy (CNLD). And some analysts say CNLD will be a major contender for NLD and USDP in Chin State.
Some of the other parties that contested the 2015 election were the National Unity Party, Chin National Democratic, Chin Progressive Party, Chin League for Democracy, Zomi Congress for Democracy Party, Ethnic Nationalities Development Party, Zo Regional Development Party, Kami National Party and Rakhine National Party.