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Myanmar army pledges new elections, power transfer following coup
The military claims last year's election, which saw Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy win in a landslide, was riddled with massive voter fraud.
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In this file photo taken on February 12, 2020, members of the Myanmar military honour guard take part in a ceremony to mark the 73rd National Union Day in Yangon. Myanmar's army chief has raised on January 27, 2021 the prospect of scrapping the country's constitution as fears swirl about a possible coup by the military over electoral fraud concerns.
(Agence France-Presse/Sai Aung Main)
M
yanmar's army said Monday it will hold fresh elections and hand power to the winning party once a year-long state of emergency has elapsed, hours after carrying out a coup.
"We will perform real multi-party democracy... with complete balance and fairness," a statement on the army's official Facebook page said.
The military claims last year's election, which saw Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy win in a landslide, was riddled with massive voter fraud.
Unable to accept the result, the army staged a coup early Monday.
The statement was issued hours after the army took power, detaining de facto leader Suu Kyi, declaring a state of emergency and appointing ex-general Myint Swe as acting president.
It said that power will be transferred to the winning party after "holding a free and fair general election and the emergency provisions period is complete."
According to Myanmar's constitution -- scripted by the army -- a nationwide state of emergency can be declared for up to a year.
But given the coup and the army's near-total control of the country, that timeframe is within their power to change.
Meanwhile, Suu Kyi issued a pre-emptive call for people to reject any coup, before she was detained by the military on Monday, her party said.
Suu Kyi called on people "not to accept a coup", according to a post on the official Facebook page of the chair of the National League for Democracy.
Myanmar's military has put the country under a state of emergency for a year.
Suu Kyi's message reiterated the National League for Democracy's landslide victory in the November 2020 election.
The Facebook post noted the military's actions could jeopardise the country's efforts to fight a coronavirus outbreak.
Myanmar has registered more than 140,000 cases and more than 3,000 deaths.
The post said she had not accepted a controversial army-scripted 2008 constitution, but had abided by it since entering parliament.
The constitution carved out a powerful ongoing political role for the military, giving them control of the key interior, border and defence ministries and a bloc of parliamentary seats.
Suu Kyi and her government had been trying to amend the charter since winning the 2015 election, with little success.
During the last term, she circumvented a constitutional clause that prevented her from assuming the presidency by taking the de facto leadership role of "state counsellor".
