On Sunday, the European Union (EU) issued a statement warning Myanmar’s military government against dissolving the Aung San Suu Kyi-led National League For Democracy (NLD) party, which won the November general elections through democratic means. The EU said that such a decision would be a “blatant disregard” of the will of the people.
“The EU reiterates that the elections in November faithfully represented the will of Myanmar’s people. This was confirmed by all independent domestic and international observers. No arbitrary decision by the military junta and their illegally-appointed members of the Electoral Commission can cancel that,” the EU said. The bloc further added that it “will continue to denounce all attempts to overturn the will of the Myanmar people and to alter the outcome of the last general elections” because “no repression or unfounded pseudo-legal proceedings can grant legitimacy to the junta’s illegal takeover of power. Only respecting the will of the people can bring Myanmar back onto its democratic path and deliver stability and sustainable development.”
The release came after military-appointed Union Election Commission chairman, Thein Soe, on Friday announced possible plans to dissolve the NLD for alleged voter fraud in the 2020 elections and charge its leaders with treason. Political parties of the country were invited to discuss these potential changes to the electoral system at a meeting in Naypyitaw, wherein Thein Soe said that an investigation of last year’s ballot was on the verge of completion and that it showed that Suu Kyi’s party had illegally worked with the government to give itself an advantage at the polls. “We will investigate and consider whether the party should be dissolved, and whether the perpetrators should be punished as traitors,” he added.
The gathering in the capital was boycotted by almost a third of the political parties, including the NLD, as the commission is not considered to be a legitimate body. Many of the 62 participants that did attend the meeting were pro-military organizations that fared badly in the last election, with some failing to win even a single seat.
Last November, Myanmar held its second parliamentary election since the end of oppressive military rule in 2011. The NLD won in a landslide victory, securing 83% of the available seats, which gave the party 44 parliamentary seats, including 12 in the Lower House, eight in the House of Nationalities (Upper House), and 24 in the regional or state parliaments. Simultaneously, the Tatmadaw’s proxy political party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), failed to gain traction with the public, winning an abysmal 7% of contested parliamentary seats. Seeing the overwhelming support for the NLD, the military baselessly alleged that widespread voter fraud, and sought to reinforce its dominance via a coup on February 1. Since then, nearly 800 civilians have been killed for demanding the country’s return to democracy.
EU Slams Myanmar’s Decision to Dissolve Deposed Leader Suu Kyi’s NLD Party
The European Union has denounced the decision of the junta-appointed election commission to dissolve deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy.
May 24, 2021
SOURCE: GATEWAY HOUSE