The end of democracy in Myanmar
Myanmar’s fleeting experiment with democracy came to an end on 1 February 2020. Barely a decade after significant political reforms saw the National League for Democracy (NLD) rise into power, the country’s armed forces launched a coup d’état and placed the nation under a state of emergency for a year. State Counsellor Aung Sung Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint and other pro-democracy activists were arrested and placed under house arrest once more.
The coup came after the military had repeatedly demanded for investigations into alleged election fraud that occured in last November’s elections. The NLD had won the elections by a landslide, and the state’s Union Election Commission had rejected all allegations of electoral fraud. Multiple third-party observers have also indicated no evidence of widespread fraud. Some parallels can be drawn with the Republican Party’s allegations of electoral fraud in the recently concluded 2020 United States Presidential Election, but the outcomes have been vastly different.
The main difference in play is the power that military holds in Myanmar. Known as the Tatmadaw in Myanmar, the military had been lauded as the driving force behind the country’s liberation from colonial rule. The Tatmadaw has been influential since independence, and had unilaterally drafted a new constitution in 2008. This constitution affords the Tatmadaw 25% of all national and local parliamentary seats, as well as the ability to veto any constitutional reforms that are proposed. The Tatmadaw also maintains control over strategic industries such as mining, oil and more.
The Tatmadaw has vowed to hold new elections within 2021, and to fully respect the outcome of this proposed election. However, the last time the military promised to hold democratic elections, they failed to do so for 18 years. Myanmar looks set to be headed for a prolonged period under military rule, and the light of democracy seems to have dimmed once more.
Read more about the Tatmadaw’s influence and factors contributing to their dominance here.
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/2/2/analysis-why-is-myanmar-military-so-powerful