After more than three and a half years, Myanmar’s military government has lifted the state of emergency. The junta administration made this decision on Thursday, July 31, ahead of the upcoming national elections. This was reported by AFP.
According to an AFP report, Myanmar’s military chief General Min Aung Hlaing issued a written order announcing the withdrawal of the state of emergency. Later, junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun confirmed the matter in an audio message, stating, “Preparations are underway to hold elections aimed at establishing a multiparty democratic system. Accordingly, the state of emergency is no longer in effect in the country.”
General Hlaing had hinted during an event on March 8 that elections would be held either in December 2024 or by 2026. The recent remarks by spokesperson Zaw Min Tun reiterated this timeline, although no specific date has yet been announced.
Myanmar’s last national election was held in November 2020. After allegations of election fraud, the military seized power through a coup on February 1, 2021, and declared a state of emergency. Pro-democracy leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, along with her party the National League for Democracy (NLD), were ousted. Following the coup, Suu Kyi and senior party officials were arrested, many of whom remain detained.
In 2023, the junta government canceled the registration of the NLD, barring the party from participating in the upcoming elections.
It remains unclear whether General Min Aung Hlaing himself will run as a candidate. Political analysts suggest that even if he does not stand directly in the elections, he aims to retain a position of power to maintain effective control over the country after the polls.
At an event in the capital Naypyidaw last Wednesday, Hlaing said, “We have completed the first chapter. Now we are preparing to enter the second chapter. The gateway to this chapter is the election. We will hold the election in December.”