The military coup leadership offered two election candidates the vacant position of Chair of Chin State Administration Council, but both candidates firmly rejected the offer citing the invitation did not come from the official government.

The vacancy arose from the recent death of the Chair of Chin State Administration Council U Terrance San Mawi Nikhuai, who received the post on February 3rd and died of heart disease on February 11th.

U Htala Ha Ye competed in Haka Township Constituency-1 in the 2020 General Elections as an independent candidate was offered the post. He had retired as Director of Chin State Development Affairs Committee.

In rejecting the military offer U Htala Ha Ye explained “The authorities offered me the position to serve as Chair of State Administration Council or as the Minister yesterday morning. After a discussion with my family I refused to accept it. I will not object to the offer, if the government that represented the public made the offer, but I don’t regard it (the current military rule) as the

official government.”

U Shan Mann from the CNLD is a town-elder of Haka Township and secured the Chin State parliamentary seat in Haka Township Constituency-2 in the 2020 General Elections. On February 15, the relevant authorities offered U Shan Mann from the opposition CNLD the same post as Chair of the CSAC. But he also rejected the offer.

He refused to work under the military’s the State Administration Council, as it is not the government elected by the public. Among ethnic parties, the Arakan National Party (ANP) and the Mon Unity Party (MUP) have agreed to receive the Tatmadaw’s offer to take post in the State Administration Council while the Chin National League for Democracy (CNLD) and the ACNP have objected to the offer.