The Mon Unity Party (MUP) has announced that 16 of its 62 candidates put forward to run in Burma’s general election in November are women, or just over 25 percent.

 

“The final electoral candidate list was approved today,” MUP spokesperson Nai Layi Tama told NMG on July 26, referring to approval by the party’s central executive committee.

 

The party will run in Mon and Karen states and Tanintharyi and Yangon regions.

 

Among the 16 women running as MUP candidates, one will run for a Lower House parliamentary seat, seven will run for Upper House seats, and eight will run for seats in the Mon State parliament.

 

Overall, 35 of the 62 total MUP candidates will run for electoral seats in eight townships in Mon State, 12 will run for election in three townships in Karen State.

 

According to the MUP's policy, the MUP will prioritize to select woman electoral candidates if candidates have equal qualification. Eight will run in three Tanintharyi Region townships and seven will run in six Yangon Region townships.

 

Eleven of the 62 candidates are running for Lower House seats, 17 for Upper House seats, 32 for state parliamentary seats in two states, and two for ethnic affairs minister posts.

 

The Mon Unity Party is a merger of the All Mon Regions Democracy Party, Mon National Party and Mon activists.

 

The Union Election Commission allowed the MUP to form a political party on May 17, 2019. The UEC allowed the MUP to register as a political party on July 11, 2019.