ZNC to Register as ‘Zomi Congress for Democracy’

10 July 2012: The Zomi National Congress (ZNC), a political party asked in May to change its name by Burma’s Union Election Commission, has been granted permission to register as ‘Zomi Congress for Democracy’.

The Union Election Commission gave the green light to the new name to be established as a political party on 5 July, saying it was in conformity with the rules and regulations, according to the New Light of Myanmar.

In a letter sent last Thursday to the new party, UEC said the Zomi Congress for Democracy was permitted to form a political party but it has got to make further submission of at least names of two leaders and registration application to UEC within 30 days.

Despite officially contesting and winning two seats from Tedim and Tonzang constituencies from Chin State during the 1990 Elections, ZNC was denied its recent application to register as a political party on the ground that the term ‘Zomi’ is not included in the 130-plus ‘national races’ identified by the government.

A 15-member ZCD would stand as a new political party upon completion of its registration process after dropping the term ‘national’ from its previous party’s name, ZNC, which boycotted alongside the National League for Democracy (NLD) the 2010 general elections in Burma.

Founded in 1988, ZNC was committed to restoring and establishing democratic government and federal union of Burma, with its leader Pu Chin Sian Thang, an elected MP during the 1990 elections.

Reporting by Thawng Zel Thang
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