Myanmar opposition: Government delaying results deliberately
Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party, which appears headed for a massive election victory, accused the government election panel yesterday of intentionally delaying results, saying it may be trying "to play a trick."
However, in an interview with the BBC, Suu Kyi did not repeat the claims by her party, only noting that the military-backed government has promised to respect the will of the people. She also said the party expects to win around 75 percent of the seats in Parliament. The surprising accusation by the National League for Democracy added a worrying twist to what had been an amicable election, with the ruling party appearing to be taking its expected loss gracefully after the Sunday vote.
"The Union Election Commission has been delaying intentionally because maybe they want to play a trick or something," NLD spokesman Win Htien told reporters at Suu Kyi's house after a party meeting. "It doesn't make sense that they are releasing the results piece by piece. It shouldn't be like that." "They are trying to be crooked," he added.
Nearly two full days after voting ended, the election commission, which did not immediately respond to the accusation, has released results for only 83 seats in the 664-member Parliament, giving 74 to the NLD and four to the ruling party. Based on its own counting, the NLD has claimed victory in 154 of the 164 seats in four of the country's 14 states. In addition, the commission announced that the NLD had won 11 of 15 seats in four regional parliaments.
The accusation raises questions about the intentions of the ruling Union Solidarity Development Party, which is beholden to the military that ruled the country with an iron grip from 1962 until 2011. Since 2011, the USDP, largely made up of former junta members, has been led by President Thein Sein, a former general who has been praised for beginning political and economic reforms to end Myanmar's isolation and jump-start its moribund economy. It is also disconcerting because in 1990 elections, which the NLD won overwhelmingly, the junta refused to recognize the results.
In the BBC interview, Suu Kyi was asked why, given the events of 1990, things will be different this time. "They've been saying repeatedly they'll respect the will of the people and that they will implement the results of the election," she said. She also said the people are far more aware now than in 1990.
Observers also believe that the military had little to gain by interfering again, because as part of reforms to allow gradual democracy it has already secured its position with constitutionally guaranteed powers. For example, no matter who forms the government, the military gets to keep control of the ministries of defense, interior and border security. It controls large parts of the national economy. Also, the military can block constitutional amendments because 25 percent of the seats in Parliament are reserved for it. Amendments require more than a 75 percent vote.
The NLD is widely expected to finish with the most seats in Parliament. A two-thirds majority would give it control over the executive posts under Myanmar's complicated parliamentary-presidency system. The military and the largest parties in the upper house and the lower house will each nominate a candidate for president.
Myanmar's election after 25 years came under fire as about 500,000 eligible voters from the country's 1.3-million-strong Rohingya Muslim minority have been barred from casting ballots. The government considers them foreigners even though many have lived in Myanmar for generations. Neither the NLD nor the USDP is fielding a single Muslim candidate. The Rohingyas are not recognized as one of the 134 official ethnicities of Myanmar because authorities view them as illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh. The U.N. considers Rohingyas to be one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.
However, in an interview with the BBC, Suu Kyi did not repeat the claims by her party, only noting that the military-backed government has promised to respect the will of the people. She also said the party expects to win around 75 percent of the seats in Parliament. The surprising accusation by the National League for Democracy added a worrying twist to what had been an amicable election, with the ruling party appearing to be taking its expected loss gracefully after the Sunday vote.
"The Union Election Commission has been delaying intentionally because maybe they want to play a trick or something," NLD spokesman Win Htien told reporters at Suu Kyi's house after a party meeting. "It doesn't make sense that they are releasing the results piece by piece. It shouldn't be like that." "They are trying to be crooked," he added.
Nearly two full days after voting ended, the election commission, which did not immediately respond to the accusation, has released results for only 83 seats in the 664-member Parliament, giving 74 to the NLD and four to the ruling party. Based on its own counting, the NLD has claimed victory in 154 of the 164 seats in four of the country's 14 states. In addition, the commission announced that the NLD had won 11 of 15 seats in four regional parliaments.
The accusation raises questions about the intentions of the ruling Union Solidarity Development Party, which is beholden to the military that ruled the country with an iron grip from 1962 until 2011. Since 2011, the USDP, largely made up of former junta members, has been led by President Thein Sein, a former general who has been praised for beginning political and economic reforms to end Myanmar's isolation and jump-start its moribund economy. It is also disconcerting because in 1990 elections, which the NLD won overwhelmingly, the junta refused to recognize the results.
In the BBC interview, Suu Kyi was asked why, given the events of 1990, things will be different this time. "They've been saying repeatedly they'll respect the will of the people and that they will implement the results of the election," she said. She also said the people are far more aware now than in 1990.
Observers also believe that the military had little to gain by interfering again, because as part of reforms to allow gradual democracy it has already secured its position with constitutionally guaranteed powers. For example, no matter who forms the government, the military gets to keep control of the ministries of defense, interior and border security. It controls large parts of the national economy. Also, the military can block constitutional amendments because 25 percent of the seats in Parliament are reserved for it. Amendments require more than a 75 percent vote.
The NLD is widely expected to finish with the most seats in Parliament. A two-thirds majority would give it control over the executive posts under Myanmar's complicated parliamentary-presidency system. The military and the largest parties in the upper house and the lower house will each nominate a candidate for president.
Myanmar's election after 25 years came under fire as about 500,000 eligible voters from the country's 1.3-million-strong Rohingya Muslim minority have been barred from casting ballots. The government considers them foreigners even though many have lived in Myanmar for generations. Neither the NLD nor the USDP is fielding a single Muslim candidate. The Rohingyas are not recognized as one of the 134 official ethnicities of Myanmar because authorities view them as illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh. The U.N. considers Rohingyas to be one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.
Last Update: November 10, 2015 21:14