Naypyitaw — Myanmar military or Tatmadaw spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun has steered clear of the Union Solidarity and Development Party’s (USDP) call to re-run the Nov. 8 general election.
The spokesman said the party’s call for re-running the election in coordination with the military does not reflect the Tatmadaw’s view.
The USDP, which was formed by ex-generals, last week called for the Nov. 8 election to be restaged in coordination with the military for “a free, unbiased and disciplined vote”.
“There was no coordination with the Tatmadaw about it nor is it the stance of the Tatmadaw,” said Maj-Gen Zaw Min Tun.
He quoted military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing when asked the Tatmadaw’s view on the election results.
The senior general told reporters on Nov. 8: “I will have to accept the people’s wish and the results that come with it. There is no denying it.”
However, a joint statement issued by 16 political parties, including the USDP, on Nov. 11 called for the formation of an independent commission to investigate alleged election malpractices.
Lawyer U Khin Maung Zaw from Pyinmana in Naypyitaw called the USDP’s demands unrealistic, saying it was defeated again because it is too close to the military.
“People voted based on three emotions. The first is out of hate. They hate what happened to them. The second is out of fear. What the military chief and [USDP chair] U Than Htay said instilled them with fear. And the third is out of trust. They trust Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,” he said.
A few days before the election, Myanmar’s military warned that the government must take responsibility for the mistakes of the Union Election Commission (UEC), causing concerns.
The National League for Democracy contested the 2012 by-elections and won 43 out of 45 seats. In 2015, it won more than 79 percent seats of contested seats. On Nov. 8, it won 396 seats, according to the UEC. It requires 322 seats to form a government.
Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko
You may also like these stories:
Official Results Show Another Election Landslide for Myanmar’s Ruling NLD
NLD Reaches Out to Myanmar’s Ethnic Parties Seeking Federal Union and an End to Civil War
Military-Backed USDP Leaders Defeated by NLD in Myanmar Election
