Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Opposition Questions Slow Release Of Election Results By Myanmar's Government

Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi delivers a speech next to party patron Tin Oo (left) in Yangon, Myanmar, on Monday. Suu Kyi on Monday hinted that her party will win the country's historic elections, and urged supporters not to provoke their losing rivals.
Khin Maung Win
/
AP
Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi delivers a speech next to party patron Tin Oo (left) in Yangon, Myanmar, on Monday. Suu Kyi on Monday hinted that her party will win the country's historic elections, and urged supporters not to provoke their losing rivals.

Updated 3:30 a.m. ET Tuesday:

The party headed by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday accused Myanmar's government of intentionally delaying the results from Sunday's election.

In its report from Yangon, The Associated Press writes: "The Union Election Commission has been delaying intentionally because maybe they want to play a trick or something," NLD spokesman Win Htien told reporters at Suu Kyi's house after a party meeting. "It doesn't make sense that they are releasing the results piece by piece. It shouldn't be like that," he said.

The commission has not responded to the accusations by the National League for Democracy of purposely slow vote totals.

Original Post:

The party of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is headed for an election sweep in the country's first openly contested election in 25 years.

As the results came in, the National League for Democracy party claimed overwhelming victory according to news reports. A decisive win could ensure that Suu Kyi's party is able to form the next government.

According to the BBC, "official results have been released for only 54 seats, with 48 won by the NLD."

"I think you all have the idea of the results," Suu Kyi is quoted as saying by the news organization.

Winning the presidency and Parliament would give the National League for Democracy control over "legislation, economic policy and foreign relations. But the constitution guarantees that the military will keep control of the ministries of defense, interior and border security," The Associated Press reports.

Still, it would be the first time a democratic government was in charge since former junta members took power 50 years ago.

"We lost," Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) acting chairman Htay Oo told Reuters one day after the elections. The USDP is backed by the military, which still retains considerable government influence in the country.

The United States congratulated Myanmar, also known as Burma, on the election, with White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest calling the process a "meaningful, competitive election" and an "important step in Burma's democratic reform process."

Earnest pointed out, however, that there are still "structural and systemic flaws" in Myanmar's system, like the law preventing Suu Kyi from becoming president because she has children who were born in another country.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.