Myanmar's Union Election Commission has abolished two of the newly-registered political parties for their failure to run for at least three vacant seats in the coming by-elections set for April 1, according to an announcement of the commission released Wednesday.

The two political parties, abolished according to the parties' registration law, are Democratic Alliance Party and 88-Forces of People's Party.

There are 48 vacant seats in parliament at three levels available for contest in the by-elections.

Of the 48 seats in constituencies of 10 regions or states, 40 are for the House of Representatives, six for House of Nationalities and two for region or state parliament.

Both the main opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), and the ruling party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), will contest in all 48 vacant constituencies, constituting the main contestants.

In the latest development, a total of 17 political parties including 11 old and six newly-registered parties will run in by- elections, according to local media.