BANGKOK — Myanmar’s military regime announced on Friday an additional extension of six months for its emergency rule while preparing for elections that it claims will be conducted this year, marking nearly five years of turmoil in the nation.
Yet, no specific election date has been provided.
The military initiated a state of emergency on February 1, 2021, seizing control by arresting the country’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, along with other senior officials from her administration. This takeover undermined years of democratic progress, reverting to decades of previous military governance.
Following this power grab, an armed resistance emerged, comprising influential ethnic minority militias and people’s defense forces that back Myanmar’s leading opposition, leading to significant portions of the country being outside the military’s control.
Currently, the military is confronted with its most significant obstacle since assuming power, facing defensive positions across large areas. Nonetheless, it maintains control over central Myanmar and major cities such as the capital, Naypyidaw.
State-run MRTV reported on Friday that the National Defense and Security Council unanimously decided to extend emergency rule after Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the chief of the military-led government, asserted the necessity for additional time to stabilize the nation ahead of the elections.
While the council is designated as a constitutional governmental body, it is predominantly influenced by military oversight.
According to the military-constructed 2008 Constitution, the government can maintain emergency powers for one year, with the allowance for two additional six-month extensions prior to elections. However, this latest extension marks the seventh time this has occurred.
Tom Andrews, a special rapporteur for the U.N. Human Rights Office, stated on Thursday that four years of military-led violence and mismanagement have plunged Myanmar into a dire situation. The United Nations has reported that over 3.5 million individuals have been displaced due to ongoing conflicts.
“Junta forces have killed thousands of civilians, conducted bombings, and set villages ablaze, displacing millions. More than 20,000 political prisoners remain incarcerated, while the economy and public services have deteriorated. Large segments of the population face the specter of famine and starvation,” he remarked.
Emergency rule enables the military to assume all governmental operations, thereby granting Min Aung Hlaing full legislative, judicial, and executive authority.
Initially, elections were slated for August 2023; however, this date has continually shifted, with the military now suggesting they may occur sometime in 2025.
Per the Constitution, governmental functions must be handed over to the president at least six months prior to holding elections.
The proposed elections are widely perceived as an attempt to validate military governance by securing a favorable outcome that cements their authority.
Critics assert that the elections will lack transparency and fairness, given the absence of a free press and the detention of most leaders from Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party.
Moe Zaw Oo, a member of the opposition’s shadow National Unity Government, declared on Wednesday that opposition factions are gearing up to resist the military’s election through peaceful means. The NUG, which claims to be the legitimate government of Myanmar, acts as an umbrella for opposition movements.
“No individual from our revolutionary forces will acknowledge the illegal election planned by the military. We may have various viewpoints on other subjects, but there is consensus among the revolutionary forces regarding this election issue: we reject it entirely,” Moe Zaw Oo stated at an online press briefing.
