The Zomi National Party (ZNP) is an ethnic-based political party in Myanmar that represents the interests of the Zomi people, an ethnic group concentrated mainly in Chin State and adjoining areas. It positions itself as a democratic, federalist party advocating equality for all ethnic nationalities while prioritizing the protection of Zomi identity, language, and culture.
Key facts
- Country: Myanmar
- Constituency base: Zomi-populated areas, especially Chin State and nearby townships.
- Status: Registered (approved by the Union Election Commission in 2025).
- Ideological focus: Zomi ethnic rights, democracy, federal union, minority protection.
- Recent activity: Preparing to contest post-coup multiparty elections under a military-controlled framework.
Origins and background
The Zomi National Party emerges from a longer tradition of Zomi ethnic political organizing, connected historically to groups such as the Zomi National Congress and later the Zomi Congress for Democracy, which sought recognition of “Zomi” as a national ethnic name and campaigned for federalism.
Earlier attempts under the “Zomi” banner faced legal obstacles; for example, in 2012, the Union Election Commission rejected the registration of the Zomi National Congress because “Zomi” was not an officially recognized term. DVB Subsequent legal and naming adjustments paved the way for newer formations like ZNP to seek formal registration under Myanmar’s Political Parties Registration Law.
Ideology and program
In its official policy presentation, ZNP emphasizes:
- protecting and promoting the “national interests” of the Zomi people;
- working with other ethnic nationalities to entrench democracy and federalism;
- preserving Zomi language, literature, religion, culture, and customs;
- supporting economic, social, educational, and health-sector development across Myanmar;
- ensuring that Zomi aspirations are heard in national political transitions and reconstruction.
The party frames political problems as resolvable only by political means within a legal framework, explicitly endorsing multi-party democracy and a federal union as the long-term constitutional goal.
Organization and recent activities
By 2025, ZNP had applied for and received approval from the Union Election Commission to register as a political party, establishing a temporary headquarters in Yangon ahead of planned elections under military rule. Ministry of Information Party leaders have launched grassroots voter education in Zomi areas and opened local offices, such as in Cikha, to organize supporters and prepare candidate slates. Facebook
ZNP’s messaging targets Zomi communities in Chin State and nearby regions, urging them not to be politically “left behind” and to use elections—despite highly constrained conditions—as a means to assert ethnic representation and push for a genuinely federal, democratic union in the long term.