Myanmar Junta Dissolves Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy

In a recent development, the Myanmar election commission appointed by the junta announced the dissolution of the National League for Democracy (NLD), led by the ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The decision was made as the NLD failed to re-register for an election under the regime’s newly drafted electoral law. A total of 40 political parties, including Suu Kyi’s party, were dissolved on Tuesday, according to local media outlets.

This announcement comes two years after the coup and the NLD’s landslide victory in the 2020 general elections, which the junta later annulled. The elections were deemed unfair by the junta, leading to the detention of Suu Kyi and the imposition of a state of emergency. With this latest development, the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) is likely to seize the election victory.

Out of the 63 parties that registered for the election at local or national levels, only 23 have been approved to contest. The remaining 40 parties were automatically disbanded after failing to register themselves for the elections.

The NLD will now be “automatically canceled as a political party” from Wednesday, as per MRTV broadcaster. This move comes as Myanmar is set to hold elections in May this year, following the junta’s extension of the state of emergency last month.

Staff Reporter