Myanmar’s military has formally postponed the promised election this August after extending a state of emergency imposed after the 2021 coup.
In a statement released by Myanmar state television on July 31, the military claimed that the ongoing violence was the reason for the postponement of the election.
“In order to hold free and fair elections and allow citizens to vote without fear, we still need to develop some necessary security measures, therefore, the duration of the state of emergency has been extended,” the statement said.
The statement amounted to an acknowledgment that the military did not exercise sufficient control to hold elections or suppress widespread opposition to its rule, including increasingly challenging armed resistance movements, as well as nonviolent protest and civil disobedience movements .
On February 1, 2021, the Myanmar military arrested the elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and senior officials of his government, as well as members of the Myanmar National League for Democracy party, and declared a state of emergency. The Myanmar military alleges widespread fraud in the November 2020 elections through which the Myanmar National League for Democracy seized power.
The military takeover reverses years of democratic progress in Myanmar following 50 years of military rule.
Myanmar: ‘Terrorist activity’ (Al Jazeera)
The military initially announced new elections would be called a year after taking over, and later said they would be held in August 2023.
However, the coup leader Min Aung Hlaing said at the meeting where he announced the extension of the state of emergency on July 31 that the wars in Sagaing, Magway, Pego and Tanintharyi regions, as well as Karen, Kayah and Chin states are still ongoing. Continuing, voting cannot be held anytime soon.
“It will take us some time to continue our systematic preparation duties because we should not rush into elections,” Min Aung Hlaing told the military-backed National Defense and Security Council, according to local media reports.
The report on the 31st did not specify when the vote will be held, but only pointed out that the vote will be held after the goal of the state of emergency is achieved.
The country’s state of emergency has been extended for the fourth time to allow the military to assume all government functions and give the chairman of the governing council Min Aung Hlaing legislative, judicial and executive powers.
A spokesman for Myanmar’s National Unity Government, which describes itself as the legitimate government of the country, said the extension of the state of emergency was expected.
“The junta extended the state of emergency because the generals are hungry for power and don’t want to lose it,” he told The Associated Press. “As for the revolutionary groups, it can be said that we will continue to try to accelerate our current revolutionary activities.”
The Myanmar military has listed the Myanmar Government of National Unity and its armed forces, the People’s Defense Forces, as “terrorists.”
In response to the Burmese military statement, the United States said that extending the state of emergency would plunge Burma “deeper into a state of violence and instability.”
“Since overthrowing Myanmar’s democratically elected government two and a half years ago, the Burmese military regime has carried out hundreds of airstrikes, burned tens of thousands of homes, and displaced more than 1.6 million people,” said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
He added, “The regime’s pervasive brutality, and its disregard for the democratic aspirations of the Burmese people, will continue to prolong this crisis.”
Myanmar’s military crackdown on dissent has left more than 3,800 dead and more than 24,000 arrested, according to local monitoring groups.
Myanmar’s military says more than 5,000 civilians have been killed by “terrorists” since it took power.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts led by the United Nations and regional bloc ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) to end the ongoing conflict have stalled amid Myanmar’s military refusal to engage with its rivals.
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2023-08-01 09:12:34
