Mon State-based political parties registered for the upcoming junta-run elections are struggling to field sufficient candidates, party officials said.

The junta announced that the election will be held in phases, starting on December 28, and has ordered participating parties to submit their candidate by September 8.

As a result, parties nationwide, including those in Mon State, are scrambling to field candidates, but most in Mon State are struggling to find enough.

U Aung Ko Win, head of the Mon State branch of the People's Party (PP), told Than Lwin Times that the current political climate and the short deadline for submitting candidate lists are making it difficult to recruit candidates.

“Finding candidates has been really challenging. Beyond the current political situation, the deadline for submitting the lists is coming up fast. Our party has faced difficulties because we didn’t make enough preparations ahead of time. While we’re trying to meet the required number of candidates, we also want to choose people who are respected by the community, which makes it even harder,” he said.

Nai Than Shwe, spokesperson for the Mon Unity Party (MUP), said the party prioritizes candidates who meet its preferred qualifications over those who simply fulfill the legal requirements.

“When selecting candidates, we look at the criteria very carefully. We give priority to those who meet the qualifications the party prefers, rather than just the ones required by law. We’re still working out the detailed specifications,” he said.

At present, only a few people have accepted offers from Mon State parties to run as their candidates in the upcoming election.

Analysts in Mon State closely monitoring the pre-election period noted that the lack of security guarantees for candidates, public distrust of the junta-supervised elections, and the fear of being remembered as collaborators in an election likely to result in a junta-controlled puppet government are making it difficult for parties to field candidates.

However, sources close to the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which is known for its strong ties to the junta, said the party has already secured enough candidates to contest the election and is fully prepared.

The junta plans to hold elections in all 10 townships of Mon State, with Kyaikto, Thaton, Mawlamyine, Chaungzon, and Kyaikmaraw townships scheduled for phase 1 voting.

In Mon State, the parties set to contest the election include the USDP, PP, and MUP, along with the People’s Pioneer Party (PPP), Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP), Women’s Party – Mon (WP-Mon), and several junta-aligned parties.