The Union Election Commission (UEC) held a press conference in Naypyitaw on Wednesday to rebuff calls from the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) for a new election.
Dismissing the military-backed party’s criticism of its handling of the election, the UEC said that any disputes over the results could be addressed through legal channels.
“It’s their allegation that the election was unfair. It’s from a small group of people. A true democracy values the majority’s wish,” said UEC official Myint Naing.
Acknowledging that there were a few shortcomings in the way the election was conducted, he added that the UEC was accepting reports that would help it fix the issues in the future.
The press conference was held as the USDP was holding one of its own in Yangon to demand a repeat of the election.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, the party said it would not recognize the results of last Sunday’s election, which the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) won in a landslide that all but buried the USDP.
Although the results of the election have not yet been finalized, the NLD appeared to have an insurmountable lead over its rivals, while the USDP had only around 20 confirmed wins in the Pyithu Hluttaw, two in the Amyotha Hluttaw and just over 10 in the state and regional parliaments.
At its press conference, the USDP called on the UEC to redo the election, this time with the military playing a role to ensure that it is “free from bias and unjust campaigning.”
“The military is a strong institution, and the UEC is a free institution. We believe it would be better if the UEC and the military cooperated to bring about a free and safe election nationwide,” said the party’s secretary, Dr Kyaw Soe.
The party claimed that it was at an unfair disadvantage because of the government’s Covid-19 restrictions, which limited its ability to engage with voters and hold campaign activities.
According to Dr Aye Min Moe, the party’s treasurer, the NLD also took advantage of the health crisis by providing government aid to poor citizens as the election was drawing near.
The USDP also accused the UEC of failing to implement proper safety procedures at polling stations and using plastic ballot boxes that “weren’t even as durable as trash bins.”
Other parties, including the National Development Party (NDP) and the New National Democracy Party (NNDP), also took part in the USDP press conference.
They echoed the USDP’s complaints of unfairness, saying that as the governing party, the NLD had many opportunities to influence the outcome of the election, while they had almost none.
“In short, it was like they were scoring goals while the goalkeeper was tied up,” said NNDP vice-chair Than Tun.
