The US led governments around the world in calling for the restoration of Myanmar’s democracy on February 1 after the military staged a coup, arresting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other politicians.

The calls came as the new Myanmar military government pledged to hold another national election and award the right to form a new government to the winning political party.

The pledge was made in an official announcement by the commander-in-chief of the Defence Services Office on February 1. Its announcement included a statement that the Union Election Commission had failed to resolve severe errors in voting results of the November 8, 2020, general election.

An earlier press release by the so-called Military Information Team cited as many as 10.5 million potential fraud cases in the election, which saw the National League for Democracy (NLD) win another landslide victory.

Meanwhile, the military said it will take charge of health policy and measures to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic and will be introducing economic measures to ease the impacts on the people.

It also pledged to continue to work on nationwide ceasefire agreements among ethnic groups.

In a statement condemning the coup, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the US “will take action against those responsible if these steps are not reversed”.

Psaki added that the US opposes any attempt to alter the outcome of the November elections, which handed Suu Kyi’s National League for

Democracy (NLD) an overwhelming landslide, but sparked allegations of vote irregularities by the routed military-backed party.

Newly appointed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also called on Myanmar’s military “to release all government officials and civil society leaders and respect the will of the people of Burma as expressed in democratic elections on November 8”.

Before the coup, Washington, alongside several other Western nations, had urged the military to “adhere to democractic norms” in a January 29 statement that came as the commander-in-chief threatened to revoke the country’s constitution.

Australia

“We call on the military to respect the rule of law, to resolve disputes through lawful mechanisms and to release immediately all civilian leaders and others who have been detained unlawfully,” Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said.

India

“We have noted the developments in Myanmar with deep concern. India has always been steadfast in its support to the process of democratic transition in Myanmar. We believe that the rule of law and the democratic process must be upheld,” India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

The UN

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “strongly” condemned the military’s detention of Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other leaders.

“These developments represent a serious blow to democratic reforms in Myanmar,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

Singapore

Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed “grave concern about the latest situation in Myanmar”, adding hopes that all parties would “exercise restraint”.

The city-state advised Singaporeans in Myanmar to stay vigilant “in view of the fluid situation”.

Canada

Bob Rae, Canada’s ambassador to the UN, tweeted that Myanmar’s military “wrote the Constitution this way so they could do this”.

“The Constitution of 2008 was specifically designed to ensure military power was deeply entrenched and protected,” he said.

All Myanmar banks nationwide were closed on February 1 following the coup and declaration of a state of emergency.

“All member banks of Myanmar Banks Association are to close their bank unanimously starting from February 1,” according to an announcement by the association, which said it was due to a poor internet connection.

Additional reporting by Eleven Media