India released a statement expressing concern and reiterating its support for Myanmar’s democratic transition. India is Circumspect Bangladesh Remains ExpectantĪmong Myanmar’s neighbours in the region, however, the reactions were more measured. The EU, its member states and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made similar criticisms. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson called for the Tatmadaw to ‘respect the rule of law and human rights, and release those unlawfully detained’ and for the reconvening of parliament. US President Joe Biden stated that the US ‘removed sanctions on Burma…based on progress toward democracy’ and that ‘the reversal of that progress will necessitate an immediate review’. In spite of Aung San Suu Kyi’s fall from international grace due to her reluctance to condemn the military’s violent campaign against the Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State and her defence of a major humanitarian disaster, many governments and international institutions have been quick to criticise the military’s actions. Moreover, as per the constitution it drafted in 2008 to secure its political influence, the military reserved 25% of all parliamentary seats for itself, thus exercising veto power over any constitutional amendments and effectively creating a hybrid system of governance. Even in the last decade, when Myanmar was ostensibly on a path towards democracy, the Tatmadaw controlled key levers of power, including the defence, domestic and border affairs portfolios. These claims will be received with scepticism. Following the installation of Myint Swe, the vice president and a former general, as acting president, the military declared a one-year state of emergency and announced that it would reconstitute the election commission, hold elections and transfer power to the winning party. The military’s seizure of power reportedly occurred after the NLD did not agree to its demand of postponing parliament, due to convene on 1 February, until the election results were investigated. Tensions have escalated in recent days after the military threatened to ‘take action’ and refused to rule out a coup if the election dispute was not resolved. The country’s election commission, which the military accused of having ‘neglected to ensure free, fair and transparent election’, had rejected the military’s claims of voting irregularities.
This comes after the Tatmadaw, which held power directly until 2011 and through a proxy political party until 2015, contested the results of Myanmar’s November 2020 general elections, which the NLD won by a crushing majority.
In the early hours of 1 February, leading figures from Myanmar’s government and the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, were detained by Myanmar’s military, the Tatmadaw.