The Union Election Commission (UEC) has announced that an independent candidate, U Tin Htoo Aung, and a Labour Party candidate have been removed from the candidate list after being found in violation of Section 10(dh) of the Election Law, based on scrutiny by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The UEC made the clarification in response to media inquiries regarding the removal of independent candidate U Tin Htoo Aung—who was set to contest for the position of Yangon Region Minister for Rakhine Ethnic Affairs—and one Labour Party candidate.

According to the 2008 Constitution and respective election laws, candidates must meet legal qualifications in order to be eligible for election. The UEC stated that, based on verification results provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the two candidates were found to be disqualified under Section 10(dh) of the Pyithu Hluttaw Election Law, and therefore their names were removed from the list. Official notifications have already been sent to the individuals concerned.

The Labour Party candidate removed from the ballot was identified as U Kyaw Thu Ya (alias Mar Mat Anee Suraman), who was contesting the Yangon Region Pyithu Hluttaw seat under the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) system.

Section 10(dh) of the election law disqualifies individuals who belong to or maintain links with organizations declared illegal under existing laws, groups designated by the State as engaging in terrorism, or armed insurgent groups opposing the State, as well as individuals with proven connections to such organizations.

In addition, Section 36 of the relevant Election By-Laws empowers the UEC to remove a candidate’s name from the final list if the individual becomes disqualified or passes away before the election takes place.

The UEC noted that it initially removed 86 candidates nationwide for failing to meet eligibility requirements, and additional disqualifications have continued during the ongoing scrutiny process.