B.Urma’s de facto head of government Aung San Suu Kyi and other high-ranking politicians have been arrested by the military, according to their party. This happened on Monday night, said a spokesman for the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party. This was preceded by tensions between the civilian government and the powerful military over allegations of fraud in the November parliamentary elections.
There have been rumors of a possible upcoming military coup for days. Commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing had already threatened last week that the constitution should be repealed if it is not observed. A military spokesman was not available to comment.
The NLD party spokesman said he was also expecting his arrest soon. He called on the people to remain calm: “I want to tell our people not to react too quickly and I want them to act according to the law.”
Absolute majority for ruling party
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi secured a second term in office in the most recent parliamentary election in November in the Southeast Asian country with 50 million inhabitants. According to official figures, your NLD party won an absolute majority, and the turnout was over 70 percent. It was only the second choice for Burma, seen by international observers as free and fair since the end of direct military rule in 2011.
But even after the election, Suu Kyi remained dependent on cooperation with the military. A quarter of the seats in the parliamentary chambers were reserved for the armed forces. This is what it says in the constitution of 2008, which the junta drafted in order not to be disempowered even after the introduction of democratic reforms.
Due to another clause, Suu Kyi cannot become president, but governs as a state councilor and thus de facto head of government. Without the military, no constitutional changes are possible, and it controls the most important ministries.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate meanwhile controversial
Suu Kyi had been under house arrest for 15 years under the military dictatorship that had ruled for decades. The former freedom icon is now controversial internationally. The promised democratic reforms in the Buddhist country have so far largely failed to materialize and Suu Kyi is now showing an increasingly authoritarian style of government himself. Suu Kyi has also come under criticism for state discrimination against the Rohingya and for their silence on violence against the Muslim minority.
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source https://pledgetimes.com/aung-san-suu-kyi-disempowered-burma-military-deposed-elected-government/
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