Results of 2020 Myanmar general elections cancelled

Nay Pyi Taw, July 27 The Myanmar junta has cancelled the results of the 2020 general elections won by ousted de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party, a move that comes almost six months after the military coup on February 1.

The announcement of the cancellation was made by the Union Election Commission on Monday, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to the announcement, the results were cancelled as the polls were not held in line with laws and were not fair.

The commission has inspected voter lists and the casting of votes, and found voting frauds, the announcement said.

It did not however mention when will the next elections take place.

The NLD won a majority of seats in both houses of the Union Parliament in the November 8, 2020, elections.

The military alleged that there was voting fraud in elections, which was the reason behind the coup.

After Suu Kyi was removed from power, a state of emergency was declared in Myanmar and the state power was transferred to the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing.

The Union Election Commission was reformed to take steps to review the process of the elections in early February.

Suu Kyi has been under house arrest since the coup on February 1 - as she was for years under the previous military dictatorship.

The judiciary has charged her with half a dozen offences, including corruption, violating foreign trade laws, violating coronavirus measures and inciting sedition.

The sedition charge is the most serious she faces.

Since the military takeover, Myanmar has been a scene of violent protests, leading to hundreds of deaths and arrests.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), at least 858 people have been killed and almost 6,000 others have been arrested.