Myanmar’s election result reflected the will of the public, according monitoring group

The election of Myanmar last year showed the people’s will and that the army’s reason for seizing power cannot be justified as they claimed these flaws to take advantage and oust the democratic leader, according to international monitoring group’s final report given on Monday.

The arrest of the democratic elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party dominated the November 8 election was led by the military junta in its February 1 coup as it put a stop to the country’s decade of tentative democratic reforms.

According to the Asian Network for Free Elections (Anfrel) which is one of the authorized foreign election observer missions, the election was not as free and as fair if it will compared to the previous election held in 2015 — one factor is because of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis.

“Nevertheless, it is Anfrel’s informed opinion that the results of the 2020 general elections were, by and large, representative of the will of the people of Myanmar,” the report said. The report also added that even in the midst of the Covid-19 outbreak, there were still around 27.5 million people who voted, that is thanks to the hard work of the staffs in charge of the polls as well as to the health officials as their rights and voices cannot be silenced.

The junta spokesman cannot be immediately reached for comment.The army has been claiming that the election where Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy got their victory against the pro-military party was full of major violations. The report also mentioned that following the electoral commission’s dismissal of their submitted accusations, it has seized power and will hold new elections after two years.

Anfrel, along with its election observers in 13 out of the 14 states and regions of Myanmar has called the military’s seizure of power to be “indefensible”.

The coup has pushed the people of Myanmar to hold day-by-day protests, strikes and the emergence of anti-junta militias. At least 796 people have been killed by security forces since the coup happened as they enforced the crackdown of the protesters, according to the activist group. The army denies the figures. The US-based Carter Center, which is one of the election observers of last year’s election, stated that “voters were able to freely express their will.”