The US announced Wednesday that the new laws that were enacted by the military government of Myanmar make a ridicule of democracy and guarantee that the elections to be conducted by the end of this year would be a disgrace.
P.J. Crowley, the spokesman of the US State Department, stated the election laws, which were established to impose limits on political involvement, demean US initiatives to enhance relations with the nation.
In a news briefing, Crowley said: “Given the tenor of the election laws that they’ve put forward, there’s no hope that this election will be credible”. He added that such move by the military government is a step towards an incorrect direction, and that it “makes a mockery of the democratic process”.
Martin Nesirky, spokesperson for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, has also emphasised his concern regarding the new laws. He said: “The indications available so far suggest that they do not measure up to our expectations of what is needed for an inclusive political process”.
The measures are being implemented in preparation for the first elections of the country after 20 years. Because no date has been set for the polls, political observers have expressed their scepticism over the electoral process.
As the new laws provide, the military government is obliging political parties, including Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD), to re-register within 60 days, and failure to do so means closure.
The parties to register will be compelled to leave out members who have prison terms. This implies that Suu Kyi, who was given an 18-month term for breaking laws on security, will be excluded from participating.
