The ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party will contest all 31 by-elections due to take place later this year to fill vacancies in the Union and state and regional hluttaws, USDP central executive member U Zaw Myint Pay told Mizzima on March 20.
He was speaking after the chairman of the Union Election Commission, U Tin Aye, announced plans for the by-elections and said they were likely to take place in November or December.
“Although our main goal is the 2015 general election, we will compete in all constituencies during the by-elections, because we are a big party,” U Zaw Myint Pay said.
“It will be somewhat difficult for the smaller parties to compete. They still have to expand their party strength,” he said.
The National League for Democracy may contest all the by-elections, said NLD central executive committee member U Win Htein, who holds the Mandalay Region seat of Meikhtila in the Pyithu Hluttaw.
U Win Htein said the NLD’s main rival would be the USDP, though he acknowledged that ethnic parties might perform strongly in the states.
However NLD stalwart, U Win Tin, disagreed with his party colleague’s comment about the USDP.
“The USDP may be a powerful party, but it is weak among the people,” U Win Tin said.
The chairman of the Democratic Party Myanmar, U Thu Wai, said it would decide whether to contest the elections after discussing the issue with the Federal Democracy Alliance.
The by-elections will be the second since the general election in 2010.
In the by-elections on April 1, 2012, the NLD won 43 of the 45 contests and the USDP and the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party won one each.
