In Myanmar, military extends state of emergency for fourth time and postpones elections

Myanmar’s military has officially postponed an election promised by August this year after extending a state of emergency it imposed in the aftermath of its 2021 coup. In a statement on state television on [31 July], the military cited ongoing violence as the reason for the election delay. [...] The announcement amounted to an admission that the military does not exercise enough control to stage the polls and has failed to subdue widespread opposition to its rule, which includes increasingly challenging armed resistance as well as nonviolent protests and civil disobedience. The state of emergency was declared when troops arrested elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi as well as top officials from her government and members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party on February 1, 2021. The military claimed widespread fraud in the election held in November 2020, which returned the NLD to power, for its power grab. The takeover reversed years of progress towards democracy after five decades of military rule in Myanmar. [...] The emergency, which is being extended for a fourth time, allows the military to assume all government functions, giving Min Aung Hlaing, who heads the governing council, legislative, judicial and executive powers. Nay Phone Latt, a spokesperson for the National Unity Government (NUG) – a group that calls itself the country’s legitimate government – said the extension of emergency rule was expected. “The junta extended the state of emergency because the generals have a lust for power and don’t want to lose it. As for the revolutionary groups, we will continue to try to speed up our current revolutionary activities,” he told The Associated Press news agency.
Read the full article here: Al Jazeera