Candidates from parties aggrieved by Burma’s elections this month are to unite to make a formal denouncement of the conditions and results.
Two of the more prominent opposition parties, the Democratic Party Myanmar (DPM) and National Democratic Force (NDF), have both signaled their wish for parties to join in the public airing of their disapproval.
“We are waiting to gather all our party candidates for a discussion over the elections. Other parties have agreed to join the discussion,” said the DPM’s chairman, Thu Wei.
“We will gather all the facts on foul play and unfairness in the elections and expose them… to prevent such unjust in future elections.”
The NDF, who was due to hold a press conference today to discuss investigation of any infractions, released a statement on 10 November outlining some of the irregularities.
“There has been a different outcome in the election – different from what the people wished due to the illegal advance votes and foul play,” it said. “The NDF [had] already sent a letter to the Union Election Commission on 6 November 2010 to prevent such issues beforehand, and will call on the UEC again to bring justice to the foul play.”
But there is uncertainty about the likelihood of a response from the election authority, which was handpicked by the Burmese junta months prior to the 7 November polling date.
The pro-junta Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), seen by many as a stooge of the military regime, last week claimed a landslide victory in Burma’s first polls in two decades.
Whether any investigation of the hundreds of accusations of fraud and intimidation will be made by the junta is unlikely, given it was they who appeared to carefully orchestrate conditions surrounding the elections to favour pro-military parties.
Burma’s released opposition icon, Aung San Suu Kyi, has said however that her Naitonal League for Democracy party, which boycotted the elections, would investigate all allegations of vote-rigging and infractions.