Arakan News Agency
The ruling military council in Myanmar announced on Thursday the end of the state of emergency that had been declared in the country for years, in preparation for elections scheduled for next December after being postponed multiple times.
The Myanmari newspaper “The Irrawaddy” reported that military spokesperson “Zaw Min Tun” announced in a voice message to journalists the end of the state of emergency as a prelude to establishing multi-party democracy in the country, noting that the opposition still boycotts the elections, which have been criticized by international observers.
The Myanmar army declared a state of emergency following its coup against the elected government in February 2021 and has continuously renewed it since then, coinciding with repeated election delays. Observers believe that the state of emergency has granted the army leader General “Min Aung Hlaing” supreme authority over the executive, legislative, and judiciary authorities.
Opposition groups announced their boycott of the elections that the army intends to hold, described by UN experts as a ploy to legitimize the continuation of military rule in Myanmar.
The International Crisis Group (ICG) warned that the military council in Myanmar is exploiting regional and international changes to strengthen its diplomatic legitimacy, while the humanitarian situation deteriorates and the civil war intensifies inside the country.
Myanmar has been besieged by unrest since the coup and the army’s suppression of peaceful protests against it, sparking a wave of armed resistance throughout the country. Various groups have managed to take control of several areas across the country’s states.
