A political party that contested Burma’s national election staged a protest to call for the abolition of the Union Election Commission (UEC), which oversaw the recent race, in Taunggyi, southern Shan State, this Tuesday, November 18.

During the demonstration in the Shan State capital, members of the Democratic Party for National Politics (DNP) shouted slogans to “oppose the fraudulent government” and the “unfair election”, while carrying placards calling to “abolish the election commission” and “investigate voting fraud”.

DNP secretary Win Bo told the media the UEC made too many mistakes.

“When we tried to monitor a polling station, polling officers investigated me, asking many questions. The UEC said the election was free and fair. But I don’t trust UEC!”

About 30 DNP members, including some from the ethnic Pa-O community, demonstrated in front of the Shan State EC office, after traveling from Aye Tha Yar town by car.

DNP registered as a political party in 2019. Party chair Soe Maung is a retired major general of the Burma Army and former judge advocate general. He served as the minister of the President’s Office under the military backed Thein Sein government from 2011 to 2016. 

DNP failed to net any seats during the 2020 race, which was won by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) in yet another landslide victory. The NLD also won the 2015 election.