Ban concerned over Myanmar new electoral laws 

(MENAFN - Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon late Wednesday warned that the new electoral laws unveiled by the Government in Myanmar this week do not meet UN expectations of what is required for an inclusive political process, his press office said in a statement.

"The UN is carefully studying the laws as they are being published by the Government in preparation for planned national elections later this year. The indications available so far suggest that they do not measure up to our expectations of what is needed for an inclusive political process," the statement said.

According to media reports, the new laws relate to the registration of political parties and prohibit anyone with a "criminal conviction (opposition)" from being a member of an official party.

Ban reiterated his call for the Myanmar authorities to ensure such an inclusive political process leading to "fair, transparent and credible elections in which all citizens of Myanmar, including Aung San Suu Kyi, can freely participate."

San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD), a prominent opposition leader, has been under house arrest for much of the past two decades.

In August last year, she was sentenced to an additional 18 months of detention after being convicted of violating state security laws when she sheltered an American lawyer in her home in May 2009.

Last month, the UN Secretary General expressed disappointment that Suu Kyi's appeal against her house arrest was rejected and reiterated his call for her release.

Myanmar, also known as Burma, is scheduled to conduct its first elections in over 20 years later this year, as part of a Government-designed timetable meant to shift the nation from military to civilian rule with the hope it will gain international legitimacy.