Burma Govt Announces Date For 2020 Election
By Network Media Group
Friday, July 3, 2020
The Government of Burma finally confirmed the 2020 general election would take place on November 8. The announcement was made by the Union Election Commission (UEC) on July 1.
Political parties and independent candidates are required to submit their list of candidates between July 20 and August 7, according to a UEC statement. A list of 330 constituencies where polling will take place for the House of Representatives, House of National Assembly and State Parliament was made public on June 29.
A notable difference during the 2020 election is that voting will be allowed in Panghsan, Nerhpan, Pangwai and Mong Mao townships, located in Wa Self-Administered Division, in Shan State. Voting was suppressed in these areas during the previous 2015 and 2010 elections.
Polling will also include war-torn Rakhine State, although at the time of press it is unclear if it will include the whole state or only the townships where conflict between the Burma Army and Arakan Army isn’t happening. It’s also unsure if voting will happen in other areas of the country that are also affected by fighting between Tatmadaw and the ethnic armed organizations.
The UEC met with political parties and independent candidates from June 26 to June 27 to sign a code of conduct and discuss the upcoming election.
The 2010 general election was held on November 7. The National League for Democracy (NLD) boycotted it, but contested the 2015 election on November 8, securing a landslide victory. The government invited international monitors to observe the last election.
