The National League for Democracy (NLD) has yet to contact Arakan National Party (ANP) but it will try to secure the post of Rakhine State Parliament speaker in accord with the election result, said ANP spokesperson Aye Nu Sein on January 28.
She said the party that won most seats in the state should have the right to choose a parliamentary speaker as well as chief minister.
“In politics, a political party does politics as it wants to have the power to serve its own people. This is why we are seeking the right to appoint our own chief minister in the region where our party won most parliamentary seats. For parliamentary speaker and deputy speaker also, they should be from the winning party. We have talked about this and submitted letters,” Aye Nu Sein commented.
Only 15 constituencies in Rakhine State could hold the 2020 general election for state parliament. ANP won seven seats, NLD five seats, Arakan Front Party two seats, the Union Solidarity and Development Party one seat. There will be only 20 representatives including five military personnel in the state parliament.
She added that her party would be trying to lead the state parliament but it would not happen for sure due to narrow election results.
As per the constitution, the President directly appoints region/state chief ministers. But, parliamentary speakers and deputy speakers are elected through voting.
NLD has met with the winning ethnic parties from four states but has not contacted ANP for talks till January 28.
“We cannot surely say we will not meet. We have learned that the union government has been formed. In regions and states also, the work has been done to a certain extent. It is not appropriate to say before February 9 that we will not meet,” the ANP spokesperson said.
After a CEC meeting on January 24, NLD vice chairman (2) Dr Zaw Myint Maung said his party would continue to meet the winning parties in Rakhine, Kayin and Chin states. But, they had to consider Rakhine State for security reasons, he added.
Although Dr Aung Moe Nyo, leader of the NLD team meeting the ethic parties, was contacted by phone for any play to meet ANP, he did not pick up the phone.
