Myanmar sets 60 days for by-election campaign

Yangon, Jan 12 (IANS) Myanmar's Union Election Commission has set 60 days as the by-election campaign period starting from January 30, the election body said on Thursday.

The by-election, the first under the new government, was set for April 1, Xinhua news agency reported.

The ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi, and the former ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), now led by U Than Htay, will be the two parties to send the most number of candidates for the by-election.

The USDP will compete in all 19 constituencies with vacant parliamentary seats in the by-election, while the NLD will join in 18 constituencies excluding a constituency in Kayah state.

The by-election aims at filling the 19 vacant parliamentary seats, some of which were left after parliament members were appointed as government cabinet ministers, while other vacancies were left as some constituencies failed to hold the polling in the last general election in 2015.

Of the total 19 vacant parliamentary seats available in 22 townships in eight regions and state, nine are with the House of Representatives (Lower House), three with the House of Nationalities (Upper House) and seven with the state parliaments.

Election results or names of those winning parliamentarians-elect will be announced within the next four days following the by-election.

In the November 8 general election in 2015, the NLD won an absolute majority of 255 or 79 per cent with the House of Representatives, 135 or 80 per cent with the House of Nationalities and 475 or 75.7 per cent with the Region or State Parliament as well as 21 ethnic representatives to the Region or State Parliaments.

The former ruling party USDP won 30 seats with the House of Representatives, 12 with the House of Nationalities, 74 with the Region or State Parliament as well as two ethnic representatives to the Region or State Parliaments.