Burma’s Supreme Court agrees to hear NLD appeal against dissolution

Friday, 14 January 2011 19:17 Kyaw Kha

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Burma’s Supreme Court in Naypyidaw on Thursday agreed to hear the National League for Democracy’s final appeal against the dissolution of the party for failing to register prior to the 2010 election.

NLD lawyers Nyan Win, Kyi Win and Kyaw Hoe submitted the appeal signed by NLD General-Secretary Aung San Suu Kyi.

“Yesterday, we had to await the court’s decision for about two hours, and then the court agreed to hear the appeal’, lawyer Kyaw Hoe told Mizzima. ‘The court gave us a registration number for the lawsuit and said they would inform us when the appeal will be heard’.

The previous NLD appeal against dissolution was rejected by the Supreme Court on November 22, 2010. The NLD has one more chance to appeal to the court.

The NLD decided not to re-register as a political party in protest against the general elections in November. The junta’s Union Election Commission officially declared the NLD dissolved on September 14, 2010, citing the electoral laws.

When the NLD won more than 83 percent of parliamentary seats in the 1990 election, the junta refused to honor the results and transfer power to the NLD.

In the recent general elections in November, the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party won 882 out of a total 1,154 seats (76.5 percent) in all three legislative bodies.

Several opposition parties have lodged poll complaints with the Election Commission against many MPs-elect of the USDP, claiming vote fixing and other irregularities.