According to media reports, Myanmar’s military government has extended the state of emergency for another six months. While the junta is increasingly facing challenges in maintaining control through wide-ranging fighting and economic crisis, it said that the prolongation will give more time to gather population data for voter lists ahead of an election slated for next year.
The coup led to widespread protests that have so far been forcefully put down by the military. The first one was a riot outside Yangon’s central bank, while another one took place at a university campus.
This extension comes amidst a protest movement that has become an armed insurgency. This protest has now grown into a major threat to the army’s power.
“This is due to continuous acts of terrorism that are happening in Myanmar,” stated government-controlled media about its most recent extension. The speaker had references towards what he called ‘armed resistance’.
Recently, after being taken ill seriously, hence having an illness for long periods of time, Min Aung Hlaing became Myanmar’s president in name only when the nominal head of state went on medical leave.
Min Aung Hlaing pledged there would be multi-party elections during which he announced in June 2025 as the year when voting will take place. However, initial plans for holding elections were suspended because they said violence was still going on without stopping at any time.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s party won by large margins; however, this military took charge later accusing them of fraud during November 2020 general election. These claims were denied by her party and international observers found no significant evidence of widespread fraud during the poll processes.
