The National Democratic Party for Peace (NDPP) opened a party office in Maungdaw, according to an elder who attended the inaugural ceremony this morning.

The office is located on the top floor of the Fayas residence opposite the Maungdaw clock tower, where yesterday the Union Solidarity and Development Party put up a new campaign billboard, the elder said.

The USDP candidate Aung Zaw, contesting the Amyotha Hluttaw or upper house in next month’s elections, delivered the opening address at the inaugural ceremony.

NDPP candidate Fayazul Haque, contesting for the lower house, also delivered a speech in which he thanked local residents and explained the party’s strategy for the elections.

The new office will be an organizational base and a polling centre for the campaign in Maungdaw district, Fayazul Haque was reported to have said.  

About 30 Arakanese Rohingyas attended the ceremony, though most of them were trishaw drivers and day labourers, a Maungdaw resident said.

Aung Zaw Win was reported to have said during his address that local residents should support both the USDP and the NDPP.

“He was not suggesting that the two parties had a close partnership, but only that they should work together in the upcoming elections,” said a member of an election watchdog group in Maungdaw.