Burmese army complains of electoral fraud, does not want to rule out coup

The army’s statements are creating tensions in Myanmar. In any case, the installation of the new parliament has already been postponed from Monday to Tuesday.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s party won in November still an absolute majority, much to the dismay of the army. It has since complained of fraud, although observers say the election was fair. Last week, the military refused to pledge not to carry out a coup, the ultimate expression of their dissatisfaction with the election results.

First of all, there was General Zaw Min Tun, spokesperson for the army, who addressed the press and said the military “will follow the law, not break the constitution.” At the same time, he appeared to contradict himself by not ruling out a coup d’etat by the Tatmadaw – the army: “We are not saying that the Tatmadaw will take power; we don’t say either.

Mother of all laws

This has already fueled suspicion that the military is up to something. The statements by Min Aung Hlaing, the army chief, raised even more suspicion, as he seemed to find the constitution a little less sacred. The constitution was certainly “the mother of all laws”, said the army chief, but if it is not respected “then the constitution must be abolished”.

He did not say which body Hlaing said did not respect the constitution, but he appeared to be referring to the election commission. On Thursday, he again dismissed the fraud allegations. The army wants the electoral lists to be rechecked and says 8.6 million frauds were committed.

The UN, EU, US and other Western countries have expressed concern over the military’s statements. They issued a statement calling on the military to “adhere to democratic standards”.

The ruling party and leader of the NLD, Aung San Suu Kyi, has remained virtually silent on the issue since the November elections. The balance of power between his party and the army remains fragile. The November elections were only the second free elections after the end of the military dictatorship in 2011.

‘Misinterpreted’

The army still has a big finger in the political cake: 25% of seats in parliament are reserved for the army. Some ministerial posts are also assigned to the army by default. The country’s second party, the USDP, is also actually an extension of the Tatmadaw.

The USDP lost four seats in the lower house and four in the upper house during the election, while the NLD won three seats in both houses. Analysts say the military is finding it hard to digest.

Today, the military released another statement: Hlaing’s statements were said to have been misinterpreted. The Tatmadaw reiterated statements by spokesperson Zaw Min Tun that the constitution will be respected.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s NLD government party said in response to accept the military’s explanation.