Rakhine Nationalities Development Party

The Rakhine Nationalities Development Party (Burmese: ရခိုင်တိုင်းရင်းသားများတိုးတက်ရေးပါတီ; abbreviated RNDP) was a political party in Myanmar (Burma), representing the interests of the Rakhine people in Rakhine State and Yangon Region. The party contested 44 seats in the 2010 General Election, of which it won 35.[2] The RNDP was the largest party in the Rakhine State Hluttaw, the sole State or Region Hluttaw whose largest party was not the Union Solidarity and Development Party following the 2010 election. The party was at times accused of stirring up anti-Muslim feelings.[3]

Rakhine Nationalities Development Party
ရခိုင်တိုင်းရင်းသားများတိုးတက်ရေးပါတီ
PresidentDr. Aye Maung
SecretaryKhaing Pyi Soe
Founded6 May 2010
Dissolved13 January 2014[1]
Merged intoArakan National Party
HeadquartersSittwe, Rakhine State
IdeologyRakhine nationalism
ReligionTheravada Buddhism
Party flag
Website
Official website

On 7 June 2011, Kyaw Htun Aung, an Amyotha Hluttaw (Chamber of Nationalities) MP, Aung Kyaw Zan, a Pyithu Hluttaw (Chamber of Deputies) MP, and Maung Kyaw Thein, a Rakhine State Hluttaw MP, all representing Pauktaw Township's constituency, were disqualified by the Union Election Commission for allegedly defaming USDP and the State Peace and Development Council during the election campaign.[4] They subsequently filed appeals with the commission, which cost 1 million kyat (US$1,250) to file.[5] On 9 September 2011, the Commission reached a verdict and two of the three accused MPs (Kyaw Htun Aung and Maung Kyaw Thein) won their appeals, while Aung Kyaw Zan lost his seat in the Rakhine State Hluttaw.[6]

On 17 June 2013, The Rakhine Nationalities Development Party and Arakan League for Democracy signed an agreement to merge under the name of Rakhine National Party.[7] With recognition of the new party, the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party was officially dissolved on 6 March 2014.[8][9][10][11]

2010 general election

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The RNDP was specifically formed to contest the 2010 election.[12] The party formally registered with the Union Election Commission on 4 May 2010 and the registration was approved on 6 May. The RNDP national headquarters is located in Sittwe, Rakhine State. The party is headed by chairman Dr. Aye Maung.

The RNDP contested for all seats in Rakhine state and the post of Rakhine Minorities Representative in Yangon Region. Of a total 44 seats contested, it won 35 seats.[13]

It won seven seats in the Amyotha Hluttaw (House of Nationalities) and nine seats in the Pyithu Hluttaw (House of Representatives). It garnered 4.17% in the Amyotha Hluttaw, making it the second largest bloc in the house, after the junta backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (which won 129 seats with 76.79%). In the Pyithu Hluttaw, it came in fifth with nine seats (2.72%). It also won 18 seats in the Rakhine State Assembly.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "Arakanese Political Parties Merge to Form ANP". Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  2. ^ Maw Maw San (15 November 2010). "USDP claims massive win". Myanmar Times. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
  3. ^ BBC
  4. ^ Ahunt Phone Myat (11 July 2011). "Rakhine MPs disqualified by ruling". Democratic Voice of Burma. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
  5. ^ Te Te (13 July 2011). "Arakanese MPs to appeal Burmese Election Commission verdict". Mizzima News. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
  6. ^ Te, Te (12 September 2011). "Two RNDP MPs win in electoral lawsuits; one MP must resign". Mizzima. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
  7. ^ Naw Say Phaw Waa (21 June 2013). "Rakhine parties formalise merger". The Myanmar Times. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  8. ^ "Arakanese Political Parties Merge to Form ANP". The Irrawaddy. 14 January 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  9. ^ "Rakhine National Party allowed as political party | Ministry Of Information". Moi.gov.mm. 6 March 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  10. ^ "Formation of Rakhine National Party approved | Ministry Of Information". Moi.gov.mm. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  11. ^ "Arakanese Political Parties Merge to Form ANP". Irrawaddy.org. 14 January 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  12. ^ [1] Archived 29 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ "Myanmar election commission publishes election final results". news.xinhuanet.com. Archived from the original on 20 November 2010.
  14. ^ [2] Archived 6 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine