The military government of Myanmar announced on Friday (January 31st) that the state of emergency would be extended for another six months until July 31st. This marks the 7th time the military government has extended the state of emergency, now four years since seizing power. During this period, Myanmar has been embroiled in a civil war resulting in thousands of deaths, with the situation remaining volatile.
The ruling Military Council, presided over by Myanmar military leader Min Aung Hlaing, who is also the highest authority in the military government, unanimously approved the extension of the state of emergency. This allows Min Aung Hlaing to continue wielding significant power. He stated that “the country still needs peace and stability” before lifting the state of emergency and holding elections.
The government’s statement declared that “all members of the National Defense and Security Council, including the Commander-in-Chief and the Acting President, have unanimously decided, in accordance with Article 425 of the 2008 Constitution, to further extend the state of emergency by six months” to further promote national peace, stability, and complete preparations for the upcoming elections.
According to the constitution, elections cannot be held during a state of emergency, meaning that the promised elections in Myanmar for 2025 will have to wait until the latter half of the year at the earliest.
Critics view this as a “farce” by the military to continue holding power through proxies.
Myanmar’s state-run television MRTV announced the extension of the state of emergency on its Telegram channel, stating that “to successfully hold national elections, there is still much work to be done. Especially to achieve free and fair elections, the country must maintain peace and stability.”
The conflict in Myanmar began with a military coup on February 1, 2021. The Myanmar military cited unsubstantiated allegations of election fraud to overthrow the National League for Democracy (NLD) government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, ending the party’s overwhelming victory in the 2020 election and halting the country’s decade-long democratic process.
Since the coup, the military government has repeatedly extended the state of emergency to deal with existing armed ethnic groups and new armed forces like the pro-democracy People’s Defense Forces which continue to resist.
Facing attacks from multiple armed groups, the military’s grip on power has been severely challenged. Over the past year, the Myanmar military has suffered significant setbacks on the battlefield, particularly in the northern and western regions against ethnic armed groups.
Foreign ministers from Southeast Asian countries recently urged the Myanmar military government during a meeting in Malaysia to prioritize a ceasefire in the civil war over holding new elections. “One thing we know is, they (Myanmar) want to hold elections. But we tell them, elections are not a priority at the moment,” Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan told reporters after the meeting.
(This article was mainly based on reports from Reuters.)
Article source: Voice of America.