The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party revolted after an independent commission said its claims of election fraud were unfounded.<\/b>
\nSome of the residents of Yangon were doing yoga in the park when the coup happened. Trucks and tanks carrying military personnel rumbled through the streets of Myanmar’s largest city, and the location of what was to be the first meeting of the newly-elected parliament, on Monday. Myanmar’s military, known as the Tatmadaw, announced via its television channel Myawaddy TV that it would be taking control of the country for the next year. The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) had lost the election by a landslide to the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD). As a result, the force cited widespread fraud during the country’s November 2020 elections, claiming there were 8.6 million instances of \u00ab\u00a0voter irregularities.\u00a0\u00bb An independent election commission found no evidence of fraud, the Associated Press reported. On January 26, the USDP gathered an independent election commission to investigate claims of election fraud, but the commission rejected the claims, recertifying the mass NLD win. In response, military spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun said the USDP wouldn’t rule out staging a coup – and less than a week later, the group did just that. Below, a look at the moments leading up to and after Myanmar’s military coup. In comparison, the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party won just 33 seats. TV in Myanmar is announcing a yearlong state of emergency with former General Myint Swe, current Vice President and former head of the Yangon military command, to serve as acting president https:\/\/t.co\/YvaFNXe5X2 The NLD had been in power since 2015, when the country ended nearly 50 years of military rule. The party is led by Aung San Suu Kyi, an activist who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 while she was imprisoned by military authorities. Though Suu Kyi was previously hailed as a humanitarian hero, she has also overseen the persecution of the Rohingya Muslim ethnic minority during her rule. The police have been under the leadership of Myanmar’s military since 1995, and helped lead forces through Yangon. Source: Human Rights Watch The people of Myanmar are no strangers to military coups. In 1962, military commander Ne Win led a military coup that kept the Burma Socialist Programme Party in power for 26 years. Military leadership continued until 2010, when a civilian government was finally installed. The city of more than 5 million people was known as Rangoon while under British colonial rule. It was reported that the military temporarily cut off access to banks, markets, and the internet during Monday’s coup. Meanwhile, supporters of the military gathered in the streets in front of Yangon City Hall to celebrate. Leaders around the world have decried the coup, with the White House saying in a statement: \u00ab\u00a0The United States opposes any attempt to alter the outcome of recent elections or impede Myanmar’s democratic transition, and will take action against those responsible if these steps are not reversed.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n