(AFP News article from the FRONTIER MYANMAR on 29 January 2021.)
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| Will Burmese generals put ASSK under house arrest again. |
Myanmar is just a decade out of nearly 50 years of
military rule, with a nascent democracy governed under a junta-authored
constitution which dictates power-sharing between the civilian administration
and the country’s generals.
For weeks, the powerful military has alleged widespread voter irregularities in November’s election, which Aung San Suu Kyi’s ruling National League for Democracy won in a landslide. Their call for voter list verification ramped up this week, with an army spokesman on Tuesday refusing to rule out the possibility of a military takeover to deal with what he called a political crisis.
Fears grew after
army chief General Min Aung Hlaing – arguably Myanmar’s most powerful
individual – appeared to echo the sentiment Wednesday when he said the
country’s constitution could be “revoked” under certain circumstances.
The newly
elected MPs are expected to begin sitting in parliament on February 1, and
security in the capital Nay Pyi Taw was tight on Friday with police guarding
roads with fences and barbed wire.
The US embassy –
along with 16 countries including former colonial power Britain and the EU
delegation – released a statement Friday urging for the military to “adhere to
democratic norms”. “We look forward to the peaceful convening of the Parliament
on February 1 and the election of the president and speakers,” it said. “(We)
oppose any attempt to alter the outcome of the elections or impede Myanmar’s
democratic transition.”
United Nations
Secretary General Antonio Guterres also raised “great concern” over Myanmar’s recent
developments, said his spokesman Stephane Dujarric. “He urges all actors to
desist from any form of incitement or provocation, demonstrate leadership, and
to adhere to democratic norms and respecting the outcome of the (election),”
Dujarric said in a statement.
The polls in
November were only the second democratic elections Myanmar has seen since
stepping out from the curtain of a 49-year military dictatorship. As expected,
Aung San Suu Kyi – an immensely popular figure in Myanmar – and her party swept
the polls, renewing a lease for their administration for another five years.
But the army
alleges there were 10 million cases of voter fraud nationwide – a claim they
want investigated – and have demanded the release of voter lists from the
election commission for verification. The commission released a statement
Thursday defending itself, saying that the polls were free, fair and credible,
and had “(reflected) the will of the people”.
While the commission also denied allegations of voter fraud, it acknowledged “flaws” in the voter lists in previous elections, and said it was currently investigating a total of 287 complaints.
