YANGON—The Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC) has decided that political parties will not be allowed to use logos during campaigning ahead of the March 31 municipal elections in the commercial capital.
The municipal authority made the decision at a meeting on Monday.
“Candidates will be allowed to use photos [of themselves] during the campaign, rather than party logos,” municipal election commission member U Khin Maung Kyaw told The Irrawaddy.
A total of 105 seats will be up for grabs: three in each of the city’s 33 townships and six for the YCDC’s executive board.
One of the six elected members will be named vice mayor, a post created by the new YCDC Law to ease the workload of the mayor of Myanmar’s largest city.
The ruling National League for Democracy will contest the municipal elections, party spokesperson Dr. Myo Nyunt said. It is not yet clear how many constituencies it will contest.
“To ensure a fair election, it is important that both the party and the government refrain from abusing their power, and allow candidates to contest independently,” said Daw Nyo Nyo Thin, founder of Yangon Watch, an independent governance-monitoring group.
Candidates can register for the election from Jan. 18 to 28. The list of qualified candidates will be announced in the second week of February.
