Suu Kyi warns instability could delay Myanmar elections

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Saturday told her party’s senior members that this year’s general election could be delayed if there is any instability in the country.

The former Nobel Peace Prize winner did not go into specifics but Myanmar has seen several deadly outbreaks of violence between Buddhists and Muslims in the last few years amid a surge of Buddhist nationalist sentiment.

This weekend, a movement of ultra-nationalist Buddhist monks is holding a keenly watched conference.

Suu Kyi spoke at the opening of a two-day conference of her National League for Democracy, which is expected to mount a sharp challenge in the polls to the current military-backed government.

In her speech at the party’s twice-yearly meeting of central committee members, Suu Kyi said that stability ahead of the poll was “very important” as she wanted to see it go ahead on time.

“The election is getting closer. I want to stress that stability in the country is very important ahead of elections,” said Suu Kyi. “I want to warn that elections could be delayed using instability as a reason.” 

Suu Kyi’s remarks can be seen as suggesting that the government or the military - which holds power behind the scenes - might want to take advantage of disorder to hold on to power.