Burmese Supremo Plans “Election Victory”

By NAYEE LIN LATT

Burmese Snr-Gen Than Shwe has attended an “election victory campaign” meeting held on Friday by the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) led by Prime Minister Thein Sein, according to sources in Naypyidaw.


The meeting, which is being attended by USDP candidates including ministers, deputy ministers, director generals of government departments and businessmen close to the regime, resumes on Monday.

Than Shwe has given instructions at the meeting regarding assigning constituencies for party candidates and appointing election campaign managers, according to a Burmese military official speaking on condition of anonymity.


“Ministers talked about how they will campaign successfully,” he said.

Ministers and deputy ministers will run for seats in the Amyotha Hluttaw [Upper House]; retired director-generals and officers for seats in the Pyithu Hluttaw [Lower House]; and the businessmen in the divisional and state-level Hlutthaws.

Candidates would be allotted 10,000,000 kyat (US $10,150), the maximum amount election laws allow candidates to spend on their campaigns.

According to the military official, Yuzana Company owner U Htay Myint said at the meeting that he will run as a candidate for a constituency in Tenasserim division and spend more more than 100 million kyat ($101,500) on his campaign.

Since the regime set the candidate registration deadline for Aug. 30, government ministers and deputy ministers running in the election would be resigning soon and arrangements to fill their vacant positions are underway, according to another government official.

Last Friday, the regime set the election date on Nov. 7 and also announced that parties will have a two-week period for candidate registration from Aug. 16 to Aug. 30.