Myanmar axes by-polls in 35 parliamentary seats

YANGON, Sept 7 (agencies): Myanmar's election commission Sunday scrapped November by-elections in 35 parliamentary seats, citing the pressure of hosting an upcoming regional summit and extra costs ahead of a nationwide poll in 2015.
The Union Election Commission made the surprise announcement after a meeting with more than 30 political parties in Yangon.
Explaining the decision, deputy director of the commission Hla Maung Cho said the number of lawmakers who would have been returned to parliament in the by-elections "will not make a big difference" to voting.
He cited Myanmar's chairing of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in November and high cost of contesting polls for smaller political parties who are also planning their campaigns for the nationwide vote slated for November next year.
The opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) secured a landslide victory in by-elections in April 2012, sending party leader Aung San Suu Kyi to parliament as the nation pressed forward with democratic reforms after decades of military rule.
Suu Kyi's party is widely tipped to sweep full polls in 2015, if they are free and fair.
Meanwhile: The Burmese Muslim Association (BMA) has rejected a statement by Al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri, unveiling the terror group's new focus on Myanmar, Bangladesh and India, media reported Saturday.
BMA said in its statement issued that it urged people to live together in harmony regardless of racial and religious differences.
The Muslims living in the country would not tolerate any threat to their motherland, the BMA's statement said.
A video released Wednesday shows Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri announcing the launch of a new branch of the terror outfit in the Indian subcontinent with the aim of expanding jihad to the region.