Myanmar military pledges new election as thousands join anti-coup protests
Myanmar’s ruling junta has pledged to hold a new election and hand power to the winner as tensions continue to simmer in the Southeast Asian country amid growing opposition to last week’s military coup that ousted de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Myanmar’s Commander-in-Chief Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing made the remarks during his first televised address on Monday, since the military takeover of the elected government, stressing that the junta would form a "true and disciplined democracy" different to previous eras of military rule.
"We will have a multiparty election and we will hand the power to the one who wins in that election, according to the rules of democracy", he said.
General Min Aung further reiterated the army’s previous position that the reason for the takeover was the government’s failure to act on the military’s claims of voter fraud in last November’s election and its failure to postpone the election because of the coronavirus crisis.
He did not say when the next election would be held.
The latest development comes as thousands of people have gathered on a highway in the capital Naypyidaw, chanting anti-coup slogans, with police using water cannon against protesters in the tightly-controlled capital.
Protests also took place in the commercial capital Yangon, with saffron-robed monks marching in the vanguard of demonstrations, along with workers and students in an outburst of anger towards the military junta’s coup and the detention of civilian leaders.
Flashing a three-finger salute that they adopted from anti-government demonstrators in neighboring Thailand, the protesters were chanting "Down with military dictatorship."
They were also carrying signs reading "Release Our Leaders, Respect Our Votes, Reject Military Coup" and "Save democracy."
The junta also declared martial law in parts of Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city, after hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated nationwide against the recent coup.
MG
