The United Wa State Army, will hold voting in four townships of its self-administered region for the first time when general elections are held later this year, RFA reported.

The roughly 30,000-strong UWSA will cooperate with the central government to hold voting in four townships in areas under its control along Myanmar’s border with China, said UWSA spokesman Nyi Rang from the group’s liaison office in Lashio, eastern Shan state.

Residents in the townships could not participate in previous national elections because of security concerns, he said.