Police surrounds Myanmar’s ruling party headquarters as party chief ousted

Police surrounded Myanmar’s ruling party headquarters in the capital, Naypyidaw, following internal disputes, which led to the ouster of party chief Shwe Mann, local press reported Thursday.

According to Irrawaddy portal, the party’s vicepresident, Htay Oo, took charge late Wednesday of the Union Solidarity and Development Party, or USDP, against growing tension between its leaders over selection of candidates for upcoming elections on Nov. 8.

USDP was promoted by the military junta that governed the country until 2011, when a civilian government, comprising former army officials, was set up.

Shwe Mann, who is the speaker of the Parliament, is confined to his residence at the capital, guarded by security forces, family sources told the portal.

Maung Maung Thein was also removed from his post as USDP general secretary, the sources further told the website.

Like other members of the government, including President Thein Sein, Shwe Mann was a general in the military junta who left the armed forces to contest the general elections in 2010.

The dispute in the USDP coincides with a clash between factions in the party and the army, which was apparent in June when the parliament debated amendments to the Constitution to reduce the power of the military.

One of the amendments, which was rejected despite support from the USDP, proposed reducing the 75 percent votes required to make constitutional changes.

Twentyfive percent of seats in the parliament are reserved for the army, thus effectively granting it veto power.

This week, 149 army officials stepped down to contest elections as USDP candidates, but only 59 of them were accepted Wednesday by the party.

The same day, local media reported Sein, 70, would not seek a reelection on health grounds.