Up to 24 new political parties face de-registration if they do not contest at least one seat in the by-elections due later this year, say senior Union Election Commission officials.
The requirement applied to parties registered in states, an UEC departmental director, U Nyunt Tin, told Mizzima on August 27.
Parties registered to contest elections throughout the nation were required to contest at least three seats, he said.
U Nyunt Tin said that the three seats could be any combination of Pyithu, Amyotha or state or regional legislatures.
“Political parties should be fully aware of this,” U Thaung Hlaing, a director of the UEC's election department told Mizzima, adding that it was in line with a November 2011 amendment to the Political Parties Registration Law.
A total of 25 parties have registered since the 2012 by-elections, including the Rakhine National Party which has representatives at both State and Union level because it was formed by a merger between the Rakhine National Development Party and the Arakan League for Democracy.
Another two parties are thought to have registration applications pending with the UEC and would be required to contest the by-elections if they are registered.
Parties that contested either the 2010 general election or the 2012 by-election will not be required to contest the by-elections, which will fill 13 vacancies in the Pyithu Hluttaw, six in the Amyotha Hluttaw and 15 in regional or state legislatures.
In February 2012, the UEC dissolved two parties registered after the 2010 general election because they failed to field candidates in three constituencies in the 2012 by-elections.
The UEC officials could not specify a deadline for the registration of candidates, saying it would be announced when a date is set for the by-elections.
