Myanmar’s military rulers have announced the end of martial law, a state of emergency that had been in effect since 2021.
After a meeting of Myanmar’s National Defense and Security Council, military leader Min Aung Hlaing said that general elections would be held in December. Opposition parties are expressing no confidence and it is unclear whether elections will actually be held.
Myanmar’s military rulers say they have resisted determinedly, have lifted the state of emergency and now want to lead the country to a future political process.
The military government says the move could pave the way for a return to civilian rule. Elections cannot be held under a state of emergency. General elections will be held in December.
On February 1, 2021, the Myanmar military overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and seized power. Suu Kyi and the leaders of her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), were arrested.
The military claimed that the 2020 general election, in which the NLD won a landslide victory, was rigged. Independent observers rejected the allegations, saying that no major irregularities had been found in the election.
The military imposed a state of emergency and transferred all government powers, including the legislature, judiciary, and executive, to Yeoman Aung San, who became head of the State Administration Council.
