The Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) has said that it will contest all vacant seats in Shan State in the by-election scheduled for April 2017.

The SNLD, known locally as the Tiger Head Party, won a total of 40 seats at the last general election in November 2015, and was the second biggest winner in Shan State, next to the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).

Fighting between Burmese government forces and the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA) forced the cancellation of polling in some constituencies, including Kehsi and Monghsu townships in central Shan State, and Kengtung Township in eastern Shan State.

Sai Nyunt Lwin, the general secretary of the SNLD, said, “We will contest the three townships that were left off the ballot at the last election. Monghsu and Kehsi each have two seats for the State parliament, plus one Lower House seat. And there is another seat to be contested for the State parliament in Kengtung Township.”

The by-election was announced on October 11 by Burma’s Union Election Commission, which confirmed that a total of 18 vacant seats in Union and regional parliaments would be contested on April 1 next year. However, constituencies will not be polled in areas under the control of the United Wa State Army, such as Pangsang, Narpan, Pangwai and Mongmaw; as well as Mongla Township, which is the base of the Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army.

“They [ethnic armed groups] control these areas by themselves,” said SNLD’s Sai Nyunt Lwin.

By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)