By THE IRRAWADDY
Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and NLD party members return on a boat from a campaign trip to Phyapone in the Irrawaddy delta region on Feb. 17. (PHOTO: Getty Images)
Burma's leading opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), has complained about a series of restrictions it has experienced while campaigning for the upcoming parliamentary by-elections in April.
Party spokesman Nyan Win said at a press conference on Monday that the Ministry of Sports did not allow the NLD to use football stadiums during recent tours by its leader, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
He said that during her campaign to the Irrawaddy delta last week, Suu Kyi arrived at a football stadium in Pyapon Township which had been pre-booked for her to make a speech to local supporters. Authorities refused to allow the ground to be used for the political event, and the rally subsequently had to be relocated to an open area a mile away where the NLD leader was ultimately forced to cut short her speech because her supporters were struggling to cope with the scorching heat.
Nyan Win also expressed concerns about the independence of the Union Election Commission which on Feb. 15 issued a formal statement banning political parties from using football stadiums for campaign purposes.
He said that the NLD had planned campaign events from Feb. 23 to 24 in Mokaung Township in Kachin State, but was obliged to cancel the rallies as the local authorities did not approve its request on the pretext of security.
“How can you hold an election if you have security concerns? Elections are supposed to be held because there is security. The restriction is quite contradictory,” he said.
Nyan Win hinted at the fact that the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development is violating election laws by using state funds in its campaign efforts.
Although the NLD boycotted parliamentary elections in 2010, it has decided to contest 48 vacant seats in coming by-elections, driven by confidence, it says, in democratic reforms by the new government.
The European Union and the United States have said that the elections will be a crucial test of reforms in Burma, and also suggested the possible lifting of economic sanctions on Burma if the elections are free and fair.
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