New Delhi

The United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), Japan, and Australia on Wednesday (March 29) expressed their concerns over the dissolution of deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party, the news agency Reuters reported. A day earlier, the junta disbanded the NLD and 39 other political parties over their failure to meet a deadline to register for an election that is set to extend the army's grip on power.

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In January, the junta had given political parties two months to re-register under a strict new electoral law ahead of the election. According to state broadcaster MRTV, only 50 out of the 90 existing parties applied to re-register under the new rules. 

In separate statements, the governments of the US, UK, Japan, and Australia condemned the junta's decision. 

Speaking to reporters, US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said, "Any election without the participation of all stakeholders in Burma (Myanmar's former name) would not be and can not be considered free or fair."

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Criticising the dissolution of the NLD, a spokesperson from Britain's foreign office said, "We condemn the military regime's politically motivated actions and their use of increasingly brutal tactics to sow fear and repress opposition."

"We are seriously concerned that the exclusion of the NLD from the political process will make it even more difficult to improve the situation," Japan's foreign ministry said in a statement. The ministry added that Japan strongly urged Myanmar to immediately release NLD officials, including Suu Kyi, and to show a path toward a peaceful resolution of the issue in a manner that includes all parties concerned. 

Australia, meanwhile, said it was seriously concerned about a further narrowing of political space in Myanmar because of tough election registration requirements. In a statement, Australia's Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade said all stakeholders should be allowed to participate in the political process and warned their exclusion could lead to further violence and instability.

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"We will continue to closely monitor the regime's actions, and call for the restoration of democracy including credible elections," the statement added. 

Myanmar has been in turmoil since a military coup two years back that upended a decade of tentative democracy, and a bloody crackdown on protests giving rise to an armed struggle against the junta. 

(With inputs from agencies)

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