Myanmar opposition: Gov’t delaying results deliberately

Suu Kyi leaves her party headquarters after delivering a speech to her supporters in Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo)

YANGON, Myanmar — Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, which appears headed for a massive election victory, accused the government election panel yesterday of intentionally delaying results, saying it wants to “maybe play a trick.”

The surprising accusation by the National League for Democracy added a worrying twist to what had been an amicable election, with the ruling party appearing to be taking its expected loss gracefully after the Sunday vote.

“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.

“They are trying to be crooked,” he added.

Nearly two full days after voting ended, the election commission, which did not immediately respond to the accusation, had released results for only about 50 seats in the 664-member Parliament. Based on its own counting, the opposition has claimed victory in 154 of the 164 seats in four of the country’s 14 states. In addition, the commission announced that the NLD had won 11 of 15 seats in four regional parliaments.

The accusation raises concerns about the intentions of the ruling Union Solidarity Development Party, which is beholden to the military that had ruled the country with an iron-grip from 1962 until 2011. Since 2001, the USDP, largely made up  former junta members led by President Thein Sein. A former general, Thein Sein has been praised for beginning political and economic reforms to end Myanmar’s isolation and jump-start its moribund economy.

It is also disconcerting because in 1990 elections, which the NLD won overwhelmingly, the junta refused to recognize the results.