• Burmese
Sunday, July 13, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
27 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News

UEC Demands Arakan National Party Change Terms Used in By-Election Campaign

Lawi Weng by Lawi Weng
August 31, 2018
in News
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0 0
A A
A sign outside the headquarters of the Arakan National Party in Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State. / The Irrawaddy

A sign outside the headquarters of the Arakan National Party in Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State. / The Irrawaddy

5.5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

MON STATE — The Union Election Commission (UEC) has requested that the Arakan National Party (ANP) use the term “ethnic Rakhine” instead of “Rakhine nationality” in their statement to be read on state television in preparation for the by-election campaign, but the ANP has taken issue with the request, according to local sources.

Myanmar’s by-elections will take place on November 3 and the ANP will be running for the constituency of Rathedaung Township in Rakhine State.

U Htun Aung Kyaw, the ANP’s general secretary, told The Irrawaddy that the UEC told his party leaders in Naypyitaw on August 27 that they needed to make the name change.

RelatedPosts

UEC chair U Hla Thein gives a speech in Rangoon during a forum for a joint reflection on the by-elections in March 2017. / Union Election Commission / Facebook

Election Commission: NLD Did Not Violate Regulations in By-Election

May 18, 2017
3.9k
The by-election on April 1 at Hlaing Tharyar Township, Rangoon / Chan Son / The Irrawaddy

NLD Dismisses Regional Heads for By-election Blunder  

April 3, 2017
4.6k
A voter casts her advanced ballot at a polling station in Chaungzon Township for the April 1 by-elections. / Hintharnee / The Irrawaddy

Beyond the Ballot Box in Chaungzon Township

April 3, 2017
5k

“They invited us to talk on TV for the by-election campaign. They told us to propose a draft before we announce it on TV but they said we need to take the word ‘nationality’ from the draft, and use ‘ethnic’ instead,” said U Htun Aung Kyaw.

He said that the draft statement has a sentence, the party’s slogan, which states that the party vows to work on development for people of Rakhine nationality and other minor Rakhine ethnic groups.

In another sentence the UEC asked the ANP to refrain from saying they will work to have a federal system based on nationality, he said.

The ANP had no problems with the wording of draft statements they prepared for state television in the 2010 and 2015 election campaigns. Similarly, when they used this same statement, based on party policy, for the 2017 by-elections, there were no problems, according to the party.

However, the UEC has decided to restrict the ANP this time and so party leaders have refused to change it.

“We are Rakhine nationality, aren’t we? Why do they want us to change it to ‘ethnic Rakhine’ now? We told [the UEC] that we can’t accept it as this is our party policy,” said U Htun Aung Kyaw.

U Myint Naing, a spokesperson from the UEC, told The Irrawaddy that they were worried the ANP would use race and religion as a tool for their political gain in the by-election campaign. Therefore, the commission asked for the wording to be changed.

After meeting for negotiations, the UEC and ANP reached an agreement, he said.

However, U Htun Aung Kyaw said that the UEC still wants his party to change the second sentence about working for a federal state based on nationality.

“The UEC told us the sentence was not appropriate [according to] the 2008 Constitution. Therefore, they still want us to change it but we will not,” said Htun Aung Kyaw.

The ANP is a political party mainly working for Rakhine people and it won a total of 45 seats at state and union levels in the 2015 national elections. Rakhine State is the only region where the NLD did not win a majority of votes.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: By-Elections
Lawi Weng

Lawi Weng

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

The by-election on April 1 at Hlaing Tharyar Township, Rangoon / Chan Son / The Irrawaddy
Burma

NLD Dismisses Regional Heads for By-election Blunder  

by San Yamin Aung
April 3, 2017
4.6k

The All Nationals’ Democracy Party (Kayah State) candidate wins a regional seat after the NLD failed to register a candidate.

Read moreDetails
People wait outside a polling station in Mong Hsu Township on by-election day. / The Irrawaddy
Burma

Residents of Shan State’s Mong Hsu and Kyethi Head to the Polls

by Nang Lwin Hnin Pwint
April 1, 2017
5.8k

Unable to vote in the 2015 general election due to conflict, Central Shan State townships buck nationwide trend of low...

Read moreDetails
USDP campaigns on March 23, 2012 in Rangoon. / The Irrawaddy
Burma

USDP By-Election Candidate Dies of Heart Attack

by San Yamin Aung
February 6, 2017
9.5k

Sai San Nyunt was contesting a regional seat in Mong Hsu Township, Shan State, and was preparing to begin his...

Read moreDetails
A voter casts her advanced ballot at a polling station in Chaungzon Township for the April 1 by-elections. / Hintharnee / The Irrawaddy
Burma

Beyond the Ballot Box in Chaungzon Township

by Hintharnee
April 3, 2017
5k

U Aung Kyi Thein of the USDP defeats the NLD in the April 1 by-election to represent Mon State’s Chaungzon...

Read moreDetails
A woman walks past the voter lists on display in Hlaing Tharyar Township, Rangoon Division, Feb. 1, 2017. / Chan Son / The Irrawaddy
Burma

Election Commission Requests 10 Billion Kyats Budget

by San Yamin Aung
February 1, 2017
10.2k

New fiscal year budget proposal represents a 30% reduction compared to what the Union Election Commission spent during fiscal year...

Read moreDetails
Hung Khen, on the right. / The Irrawaddy
Burma

Chin State Lawmaker Dies in Road Collision

by Nyein Nyein
January 6, 2017
8.7k

A National League for Democracy lawmaker’s seat in Matupi Township will remain vacant as it is too late to field...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Facebook’s decision to close the accounts of Myanmar military commander-in-chief Sen-Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, pictured here, and other generals has deepened tensions between the military and the government. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy

Facebook Bans Deepen Mutual Distrust Between Military, Government

Aerial view of a flooded community in Swar Township, after the Swar dam breach, in Bago's Taungoo District on Thursday. / Prof Win Myat Aye / Facebook

Four Deaths, Three Missing in Flooding Caused by Dam Breach

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

‘Reforms Are Not Optional’: Prominent Activist Urges NUG to Act Before It’s Too Late

‘Reforms Are Not Optional’: Prominent Activist Urges NUG to Act Before It’s Too Late

4 days ago
1.1k
Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

4 days ago
1.1k

Most Read

  • Myanmar Junta Deploying Conscripts in Major Push to Reclaim Lost Territory

    Myanmar Junta Deploying Conscripts in Major Push to Reclaim Lost Territory

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Chief Thanks Trump for Shutting Down VOA and RFA

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Airstrikes Kill 25 on Friday

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Parading Comedians and Machines for Election Circus; Rousing the Military Vote; and More

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.