The United States and Australia on Sunday demanded Myanmar’s military to release detained officials, including de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, warning the military was “once again seeking to seize control” of the country, reported AFP.

In a statement, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, “The 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.”

In a statement, Foreign Minister Marise Payne said, “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.”

The escalation in Myanmar comes weeks after rising tension between the military and the civilian government over allegations of fraud in November’s elections.

According to Suu Kyi‘s National League for Democracy (NLD) spokesperson Myo Nyunt, Suu Kyi and President Win Myint had been “detained” in the capital Naypyidaw.

Nyunt said, “We heard they were taken by the military. With the situation we see happening now, we have to assume that the military is staging a coup.”

The military had for weeks complained that the polls were riddled with irregularities, and claimed to have uncovered over 10 million instances of voter fraud.

Military chief General Min Aung Hlaing, arguably the country’s most powerful individual, said last week that the country’s 2008 constitution could be “revoked” under certain circumstances.

Former democracy icon and Nobel peace prize winner, Suu Kyi’s image internationally has been in tatters over her handling of the Muslim Rohingya crisis, however, she remains a popular figure.