The military leader of Myanmar Min Aung Hlaing declared himself as the Prime Minister of Myanmar on August 1, 2021. He said that he plans to be in charge for two years during an extended state of emergency before holding an election in the country in 2023.
The leader promised multi-party elections as well as the lifting of the state of emergency by August 2023, extending an initial timeline given when he had deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government earlier in 2021.
The latest announcement by Myanmar’s military leader comes six months after the country’s democratically elected government was overthrown into a military coup and had sparked waves of protest throughout the country.
What did Min Aung Hlaing say in his speech?
Min Aung Hlaing, in his speech, said that the military authorities must create conditions to hold a free and fair multiparty general election.
He said that we have to make preparations and pledged to hold the multiparty general election without fail. The Military leader added that the military will accomplish the provisions of the state of emergency by August 2023.
The State Media on August 1 had also reported that Hlaing had taken the role of the Prime Minister in a newly formed caretaker government. It will replace the State Administration Council that the generals had set up shortly after seizing power.
Hlaing was quoted saying, “In order to perform the country’s duties easily, fast and effectively, the State Administration Council has been re-formed as a caretaker government of Myanmar”.
Military annuls the elections held in November 2020 in Myanmar:
The Military in Myanmar has granted itself the power under the State of Emergency to allow it to annul the results of the November elections 2020 that Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy had won by landslide.
The military justified its actions by claiming that the vote was fraudulent, but has not yet provided any evidence. The election commission of Myanmar had also said that the vote was free and fair.
What is happening in Myanmar?• Myanmar’s democratically elected government was overthrown by the country’s military in February 2021, claiming that the elections held in November 2020 were fraudulent. • Myanmar ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party had won the elections democratically, was arrested. She has since been charged with multiple crimes by the country’s military, including the illegal possession of walkie-talkie radios and violating the COVID-19 rules. • As protests continue to intensify in the country against the military coup, 940 people have been confirmed to be killed since the military takeover on February 1, 2021. • Human Rights Watch has also said that the military in Myanmar has committed numerous abuses against civilians and crimes against humanity since the coup. • The country has also been battling a surge in COVID-19 cases, with many hospitals in the country empty of medical staff amid the targeting of doctors and nurses as they spearheaded the Civil Disobedience Movement that urged the civil servants and professionals to not cooperate with the military. |
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