[EAI Issue Briefing] Myanmar Citizens Legitimized the 2020 General Election
2021-02-17
Jin Seok Bae, Sook Jong Lee
EAI Issue Briefing February 2021
Myanmar Citizens Legitimized the 2020 General Election:
The post-election surveys denying the military claims
Jin Seok Bae
Assistant Professor of Political Science at Gyeongsang National University
Sook Jong Lee
Senior Fellow and Trustee at the East Asia Institute
Is it the End of Democracy for Myanmar?
The military seized control of Myanmar on February 1, following the November 2020 general election which resulted in huge victory for Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party. The military claims that the election was a “fraud,” demanding a rerun of the votes. The Union Election Commission and local and international observers have denied such charges, stating that there have not been previously arranged election manipulations. In response to these events, Professor Jin Seok Bae and Professor Sook Jong Lee raise an important question: How do citizens of Myanmar perceive the recent election and the state of democracy in their nation? The authors analyze results of post-election surveys conducted by the East Asia Institute(EAI) and its local partnership institutions in Mandalay Region and Kachin State. While these surveys do not represent the nationwide opinions, the authors contend, they show the majority of citizens believe the election was free and fair and support the democratization their nation. The authors add that in order for Myanmar to progress beyond the current situation, there needs to be support for Myanmar democracy from the international community including Asian democracies.
