Some of this may sound familiar.

The armed forces have refused to accept November's election results, alleging widespread voter fraud.

They threatened to take action if their complaints aren't addressed.

In November, the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar held parliamentary elections.

The military ruled party performed badly and spent months making accusations of fraud without any specific evidence.

Then this week, when the newly elected parliament was scheduled to convene, the military launched a coup.

Now there's a curfew in place.

Armed soldiers patrol the streets.

And top officials, including the country's de facto leader, Anxan Suchi, were arrested in a series of raids.

It is an extraordinary pleasure for me to welcome State Council Anxan Suchi and her delegation.

Suchi has been the civilian leader, or the State Councilor, since 2016.

She met with President Obama in the White House after winning in a landslide.

Her path to power was long.

Her party won an election in 1990 that the military refused to recognize, and she spent nearly two decades under house arrest, fighting for democracy.

And became an international icon, winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

I need to talk to you, but I'm very happy to be here.

She said in that White House meeting, she wanted to create unity out of diversity.

And we looked at the United States and our friends to continue with us along the road of progress.

So how did a country making real democratic progress descend into a coup?

Well, first I think it's important to recognize that Myanmar was still evolving as a democracy.

That's Laurel Miller of the International Crisis Group.

I think we have to say it was a partial democracy in which the military already had an enormous share of power in the country.

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