
The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) Chairperson Khin Yi has issued directives for the party to lead campaigns encouraging public participation in the upcoming election planned by the military council. According to USDP sources, party members nationwide have been instructed to mobilize citizens to participate in voting during the military-led election scheduled for the end of this year. However, due to security concerns in the current political climate, campaign activities in wards and villages are limited, with mobilization efforts largely confined within USDP circles.
While recent reports indicate thousands of people, including youth, have joined the USDP, there are instances of ward administration teams pressuring citizens to join the party. The USDP plans to select their parliamentary candidates through two systems: a bottom-up approach where candidates are nominated from ward/village and township levels, and a top-down system where central leadership makes selections. Candidates proposed from the grassroots level will be evaluated by the central committee, and if they do not meet the required qualifications, the central committee will directly appoint alternative candidates. The party has decided to field candidates in all constituencies across the country for the upcoming election.
The military council is preparing to hold this election in December after nullifying the 2020 election results, where the National League for Democracy (NLD) won by a landslide. Political analysts point out that this military-led election cannot be considered a genuine democratic election. The current situation reflects the military council’s attempt to legitimize its control through an electoral process, while continuing to suppress civilian opposition and democratic forces. The USDP’s mobilization efforts come amid widespread concerns about the legitimacy and fairness of the planned election, with many questioning whether it can represent the true will of the Myanmar people under the current circumstances of military control and restricted political freedoms.