Protesters outside the Embassy of Myanmar in Bangkok on February 1, 2023, to mark the second anniversary of the coup in Myanmar. / AFP
Myanmar will be officially under military rule for six more months, the National Defense and Security Council (NDSC) has announced.
The decision was made on Tuesday and announced on Wednesday on junta-controlled media. Ex-general Myint Swe, who heads the military-dominated NDSC as the regime’s acting president, announced the extension.
Junta leaders lamented the “extraordinary situation”, referring to resistance against the regime, which has hampered efforts to hold a general election this year.
The regime finds it difficult to compile accurate voter lists because of the resistance attacks on census takers, said junta boss Min Aung Hlaing as he again alleged widespread fraud in the 2020 general election.
While at least 50 percent of lawmakers must be elected to regional and state parliaments for them to convene, voting is impossible in more than half of some regions and states, Min Aung Hlaing told the meeting.
The Constitutional Tribunal announced that the NDSC’s extension of emergency complied with the military-drafted 2008 Constitution.
Wednesday marks the second anniversary of the coup against the National League for Democracy (NLD) government, claiming voting fraud in the 2020 election in which the NLD won a landslide.
The regime faces unwavering armed resistance and is not in control of the country.