Two ethnic political parties in Arakan State, the Rakhine National Development Party (RNDP) and the Arakan League for Democracy (ALD), are planning to merge, Arakan news outlet Narinajara reports. Six delegates from each party were reportedly due to meet in Rangoon this past weekend to discuss the details of the merger, which would create one single, dominant Arakan nationalist party in the state. “The initiative to combine the parties has been supported by the members of both the political parties. Hence we expect a satisfactory outcome,” ALD president Aye Tha Aung was quoted as saying.