Myanmar's president Thein Sein has launched a palace coup within the ruling party to shore up his support and end the presidential hopes of his rival, the speaker of the lower house Thura Shwe Mann.
It also comes immediately after a massive shakeup in the army hierarchy - with nearly two hundred senior officers having retired or in the process of stepping down - and a major reshuffle in cabinet.
This appears to be the final act in a battle between the two key giants in the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) that has intensified in the last few months - becoming increasingly public.
The latest move though seems to have been orchestrated by the army, and the former military leader, Than Shwe may also have been behind it.
In a midnight raid on the USDP headquarters in the capital Nay Pyi Taw, led by several cabinet ministers, the police surrounded the offices and prevented anyone from leaving, according to a source inside the building.
Shwe Mann, the acting chairman of the party - as under the country's constitution Thein Sein could no longer run the party after he was elected president - and the general secretary Maung Maung Thein werere moved from their official positions in the party.