New Party Rolls Out Election Platform

23 April 2010: The newly established Union Democratic Party (UDP) unveiled its 2010 election platform Thursday at a press conference in the former capital Rangoon.

Made up of veteran politicians and a 14-member Central Executive Committee, the UDP says its objective is to build national unity in a democratic Union in which different opinions are respected and ethnic diversities embraced.

According to U Thein Htay, the party’s Vice Chairman, the UDP platform will center on forging peaceful cooperation towards national reconciliation, and an adherence to the principles of non-violence in achieving its goal.

In a statement read out at the press conference, the UDP condemned the festival bomb blasts in Rangoon, which killed at least nine people, and injured nearly 200 people, according to official counts.

The UDP is now awaiting a final decision on whether the party’s application for registration will be approved by the Election Commission.

The Union Democratic Party is headed by U Phyo Min Thein as its Chairman.

© Chinland Guardian