UN expresses concern over Myanmar army complaint about election results

• 30, Jan 2021

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has expressed ‘great concern’ over the developments in Myanmar regarding electoral disputes in the recently held national elections. In a statement released by the office of the UN Secretary General, he urged all actors to adhere to democratic norms and respect the outcome of the November 8 general elections in Myanmar. The Secretary General has said that all electoral disputes should be resolved through established legal mechanisms.

In another development, the 17 foreign missions of US, UK, Australia, Canada, EU, Denmark and 11 other countries in Myanmar issued a joint statement on Friday hoping for peaceful convening of the parliament on February 1 to elect the President and Speakers. The statement urged the military and all other parties in the country to adhere to democratic norms. The signatory countries said that they  oppose any attempt to alter the outcome of the elections or impede Myanmar’s democratic transition.

Tension has escalated between the civilian government headed by the State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and the Myanmar military Tatmadaw over the last few days. In a statement made on Wednesday,  the Army Chief General Min Aung Hlaing said that the military-drafted 2008 Constitution should be revoked if its laws are not being followed. The army has said that it plans to ‘take action’ if its complaints about the conduct of elections is not addressed, reports Reuters.

This has raised concern of serious conflict between the civilian government and the military power in Myanmar. The military supported opposition Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has challenged the results of the Nov. 8 elections levelling allegations of mismanagement and lack of transparency in conducting the allegations. It has asked for re-election in the country.

The Union Election Commission (UEC) issued a statement on Friday giving a detailed account of the process and conduct of union elections in a free and fair manner. The statement published on the official website of the government of Myanmar said that any changes in the results announced by UEC would be tantamount to breaching the state constitution and UEC laws.

The National League for Democracy (NLD) registered a massive victory in the union elections held on November 8 winning 920 of the 1,117 elected seats nationwide.

Sources : News on AIR