Yangon – Myanmar’s pro-democracy parties are set to field candidates in only around half of the constituencies in November’s election, due to the limited time and resources available for preparation, political sources said Sunday.

The shortage of opposition candidates could leave their junta-backed rivals running unchallenged for many of the seats in the lower and upper house and regional parliaments, in Myanmar’s first general election for 20 years.

‘We have about 100 candidates, and I think altogether there will be about 500 candidates for all the democratic forces,’ said Cho Cho Kyaw Nyein, secretary of the Democratic Party.

‘The total candidates required for all constituencies and all parliaments are about 1,100,’ said Cho, who complained that parties had not been given enough time to prepare.

The polls, scheduled for November 7, were only announced on August 13.

Funds were also lacking to register enough candidates, he said. ‘To register one candidate costs 500 dollars which is a huge amount in a poor country like Burma,’ Cho told the German Press Agency, dpa.

‘Meanwhile, the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party [USDP] is very rich, with full support from the government. We can’t compete with them.’

The USDP, which claims to have about 26 million members in a country of 60 million, on Friday opened about 400 offices nationwide. The party, led by ex-military officers, is deemed the political wing of Myanmar’s military establishment which was ruled the country since 1962.

‘USDP will compete in all places, but we can’t. That means USDP will win without any competitions in some constituencies,’ Democratic Party chairman Thu Wei told a press conference.

The Democratic Party is led by Than Than Nu and Nay Yee Ba Swe, daughters of ex-Prime Minister U Nu, and Nay Phoo Ba Swe, daughter of ex-Prime Minister Ba Swe.

The party is closely allied with the National Democratic Force party, a breakaway faction of the National League for Democrcay (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of Myanmar independence hero Aung San.

The NLD and Suu Kyi said they plan to boycott this year’s polls.

Myanmar last held a general election in 1990, which was won by the NLD. But the military have blocked the NLD and Suu Kyi from power for the past two decades.

Few observers expect November’s election to bring about genuine democracy.

A clause in the new constitution allows the military control over any future elected government by making the upper house of the National Parliament a partially junta-appointed body with veto power over legislation.