WIREDGOV

EXPERT COMMENT

Amid calls for the international community to ‘unequivocally reject’ the election results, only two real options remain: accept the status quo or engage with the military.

Five years after its military coup, Myanmar has a nominally civilian government. But the outcome of the general elections held on 25 January was never in doubt. Opposition parties were banned, voting did not take place in areas of the country affected by the ongoing civil war and there were widespread reports of coerced voting. As a result, we can be sure the military’s chosen front organization, the Union Solidarity and Development Party, won a landslide victory. 

The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, has called on the international community to ’unequivocally reject’ the outcome. But is that the best way forward? Or is now the time to reassess relations with the military (‘Tatmadaw’ in Burmese)?

Click here to continue reading the full version of this Expert Comment on the Chatham House website.