By Prashanth Parameswaran
General says result will be honored if victory is achieved fairly.
Myanmar’s military will accept the outcome of the country’s upcoming elections in November, its military chief said in an interview released Monday.
The country is set to hold polls following an historic opening in 2011, after half a century of military rule. Still, there are still concerns about potential violence and military intervention (See: “Myanmar Announces Date for Historic 2015 Elections”). In 1990, when Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) swept the country’s election, the military refused to recognize the results and placed her under house arrest.
But Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the powerful commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces, said that the military would respect the election outcome this year, as it is part of the democratic process.
“Whoever wins I will respect the result if they win fairly,” Gen Min Aung Hlaing said in an interview with BBC, a rare media appearance with a Western news outlet.
“I believe the elections will be free and fair. That is our true wish. We are committed to helping make that happen, any way we can,” he added.
Read the full story at The Diplomat