The National Unity Party (NUP) has been inviting educated youths to compete as NUP candidates in all Karenni State constituencies for the 2015 elections as they do not yet have any candidates.
Previously the party was known as the Burma Socialist Programming Party (BSPP) and was formed by General Ne Win in 1974 to run the country instead of the Revolutionary Council.
During the democracy uprisings of 1988 the party collapsed and changed their name to the NUP to fight the 1990 election where they were supported by the army and won about 10 seats. Subsequently the army stopped backing them and their support base dwindled so they won even fewer seats in the 2010 elections.
This unpopularity has meant that the party has no prospective candidates anywhere in the country, which is why they are trying to persuade young scholars to stand as candidates.
The president of the party, U Saw Yeh who was an unsuccessful NUP candidate in the 2010 elections, called on educated youths to sign up as NUP candidates at the party’s 26th anniversary celebrations held in Demawso Township on 25th October.
He said: “At the grassroots level there are many young scholars who have qualifications, are interested in our party and could work for it. We support them and we want people at the grassroots level to select them.”
Unfortunately, up until now no educated youths have joined the party according to an NUP official.
U Myint Aung, the NUP party chairman of Demawso Township said that if any suitably qualified youths wanted to stand for the party it would be possible to find them constituencies.
He said that in the 2010 elections the Election Commission facilitated the rigging of ballots in unstable areas of Karenni State, which ensured that candidates from the military backed Union Solidarity and Development (USDP) won the ballots.
He called for the Election Commission to take responsibility this time and ensure that the 2015 elections are free, fair and lawful.
In the 2010 elections the NUP could not compete in all constituencies of Karenni State. For the 2015 elections the following parties will be competing in Karenni State: the USDP, the NUP, the NLD, the Kayah National Democracy Party, the All Nationalities Democracy Party (Kayah State) and the Kayan National Party.
