Ethnic parties have made several mergers in their respective states in a bid to win more seats in the 2020 election.

The formation of loose coalitions or mergers has garnered local support in a bid to field a single ethnic candidate against other candidates from national parties.

 

However, there are also many critics. Pu Kyint Shin Htan, Chair of Zomi Congress for Democracy said: “I think a merger of ethnic parties is not a good idea.  We already have examples of these ethnic coalitions collapsing.”

 

There were disagreements inside the Karen National Democratic Party (KNDP- a merger of our Karen parties) over the controversial participation of a KNDP sponsor who attended a Nay Pyi Taw meeting on August 14th.

 

The KDNP’s official policy was to decline any participation in a meeting hosted by the former ruling party which provided a platform for General Min Aung Hlaing, Burmese the military commander in chief to answer questions about the election. However, a KNDP sponsor defied the KNDP policy and attended the controversial meeting in a personal capacity.

 

U Thein Tun, Secretary of the National Unity Party said: “I think they assume their mergers can elevate from the state to the Union levels step by step. But their objectives need to be clear. If they do not have common objectives, then it is better that each party should go its own way in the election.”

Sai Htay Aung, Chair of the Shan-Ni Nationalities Development Party argued that: “In some cases, the unity party collapsed even if the parties have the same objectives. The merger of Arakan parties in the 2015 General Elections is an example. Due to the different views, the reunion is impossible. The main point is that local nationalism may lead to the collapse of umbrella parties.”