Myanmar's biggest opposition party decides not to take part in polls

Monday’s decision came almost a week after the party leader, Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who is still under house arrest and thus banned from participating in the elections, said she would not "dream" of registering if the decision was hers to make.

Over 100 senior members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) met in the former capital Yangon (former Rangoon) to decide whether to expel their party leader Aung San Suu Kyi and recognize the junta’s constitution or boycott the elections that are due later this year.

Unanimous vote to boycott

Although all 115 members voted for a boycott of the elections, there has been some division in the party. Modernizers think that the party could end up disintegrating if it does not take part in the elections.

But Suu Kyi and senior NLD member Win Tin prefered to boycott the election out of protest against the junta, which has ruled the mineral-rich country for over five decades.

"Our aim is not the NLD's party existence in law. We are focused on the survival of our politics. Today our members made their decision in accordance with Suu Kyi’s message," party spokesman Nyan Win told reporters.

NLD risks becoming meaningless

According to the new election laws, the NLD could be dissolved in fewer than six weeks for not registering.

Marco Buente of the German Institute of Global and Area Studies in Hamburg told Deutsche Welle that "there were probably very animated discussions about what position to take on the elections but the majority was in favor of pulling out.

"The party no longer has a platform to move on. As the political force of Aung San Suu Kyi, it is almost meaningless now and will no longer be able to participate in politics. This is a great weakness as it can no longer influence the situation, even in the smallest sense.

"Even if the military government has a great influence one can still push politics forward if one has ones own lawmakers. And now, even this chance to get some MPs, no longer exists. If they are completely banned they will have to find a new home or risk becoming meaningless."

Buente added that the military regime had most probably introduced the election law in the hope of splitting the opposition.

Very little leeway

Some people in Yangon thought that the NLD's decision to not participate was wrong, thinking that the party and democracy would lose out.

Buente thought the reactions were probably mixed among the population, with people understanding that the NLD had very little leeway.

"In the end, one can do little because the military regime dictates and dominates the rules of the game and therefore there’s hardly any other choice for the opposition party."

The recent election laws bar current and former prisoners from participating in the process. Apart from Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent 15 of the past 21 years in detention, there are some 2,100 other political prisoners.

Election cannot be seen as free and fair

The National League for Democracy won the last election to take place in Myanmar (also known as Burma) by a landslide in 1990. However, the junta never recognized the results. It had promised to hand over power after a constitution was drafted and an investigation launched into the election. However, no constitution was drafted and no investigation launched. The junta refused to hand over power to the NLD.

Observers think that the junta has drafted a constitution, which will guarantee it can stay in charge after the elections without having to manipulate the results.

The international community has criticized the election rules for being too harsh and said the process will not be credible if political prisoners are not allowed to take part.

"In the eyes of the West, this election cannot be considered free and fair," said Buente, "now that they will not be inclusive and the opposition has rejected them. In Asia, it will be a little different. It will be interesting to see what China says and whether it criticizes the country. That's the big question."

Author: Anne Thomas
Editor: Thomas Baerthlein