The nation of Myanmar has been making the headlines recently. However, it is for the wrong reasons. This is in light of a military coup that was carried out in the aftermath of a recent election.
Military Seize Power and Key Civilian Leaders
Although the ruling party with leader Aung San Suu Kyi won the election with a landslide victory, the military seized power with claims that the electoral process lacked transparency.
This is opposed to the statement issued by the nation’s electoral body as it denied any of such claims.
To further complicate the situation, the winner of the election and some other key players in the government have been arrested and detained by the military government which has imposed a 12-month state of emergency.
World Leaders Condemning the Seizure of Power by the Military
Major world leaders such as the United States president—Joe Biden; and British Prime Minister—Boris Johnson have condemned the action.
Boris Johnson in particular did summon the troubled nation’s ambassador resident in London. The prime minister inferred that the democratic state of the nation is threatened by the actions of the military when he said that “the vote of the people must be respected and civilian leaders released.”
The newly sworn-in President of the United States was more intense in his condemnation of the coup. He stressed that the vote of the country’s masses should not be taken for granted. He said that the coup was nothing short of a “direct assault on the country’s transition to democracy and the rule of law.”
The United States President went on to state that the nation will face sanctions from the international community if the electoral results are not upheld and the leaders released.
This intense condemnation from President Joe Biden is not surprising considering how his predecessor made a scene that caused an attack to the capitol hall before conceding defeat.