YANGON • Myanmar's main opposition party yesterday demanded a rerun of a parliamentary election and called for military help to ensure fairness as partial results put Ms Aung San Suu Kyi's ruling party on course for another commanding victory.
The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) called on the authorities to hold another contest as soon as possible "in order to have an election that is free, fair, unbiased and free from unfair campaigning".
The USDP challenge came as the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party looked set for its second successive election sweep - it has wins in more than 80 per cent of seats so far declared, with about a third of the results announced.
The NLD won 130 of the 158 declared seats in the bicameral legislature, compared with 15 for the USDP.
The NLD needs 322 seats to form the next government and has already claimed victory in Sunday's contest. The NLD won by a similar margin in the last election in 2015, which was the first vote since the end of nearly 50 years of strict military rule and quasi-military rule.
A big win would be a welcome boost to Ms Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace laureate who has had a turbulent first term. She struggled to meet high public expectations while tasked with developing a country that suffered decades of decay and governing with a military that persecuted her and the NLD for years.
The ballot was seen as a referendum on her fledgling democratic government, which is hugely popular at home, although its reputation abroad has collapsed owing to accusations of genocide against the country's Rohingya Muslim minority, which it denies.
Several dozen pro-USDP demonstrators gathered yesterday in the capital, Naypyitaw, carrying signs with slogans calling for a new and fair election. The party alleged irregularities which included poor-quality ballot boxes and envelopes, advance voting problems and government cash handouts that it said amounted to NLD bribes.
It also said that celebratory gatherings by NLD supporters breached coronavirus restrictions.
The USDP challenge comes after weeks of unverified content and disinformation spread on social media about electoral fraud or irregularities before the ballot.
The NLD demanded proof of wrongdoing. "There will always be some people who say it is not fair," NLD spokesman Myo Nyunt said. "They must present evidence for their accusations."
The military in an earlier statement said the election was carried out "successfully".
International and local observers said the vote went smoothly and without major irregularities. The election commission yesterday said the allegations were from a minority of participants and the rest had approved.
REUTERS
