Arakan Army blames NLD, UEC for election impasse

01 January 2021
Arakan Army blames NLD, UEC for election impasse
Photo: Myanmar State Counsellor Office

The Arakan Army and politicians blamed Myanmar’s ruling party and electoral authorities Thursday for the failure to hold elections in Rakhine State, as analysts warned that holding a vote will be critical to keeping a fragile ceasefire going into 2021, RFA reported.

As the Dec. 31 deadline to hold the vote lapsed, Khine Thukha, spokesman for the AA, which is fighting for autonomy for ethnic Rakhines, laid the blame for the impasse on the ruling NLD and the Union Election Commission, which overseas voting and postponed the elections in Rakhine and other conflict zones.

On Wednesday military spokesman Major Gen Zaw Min Tun said the military has been working with AA troops to avoid armed combat and maintain the ceasefire, and denied that the army has been reinforcing troops in Rakhine, as villagers in the conflict zone had claimed.