Myanmar's state television announced today, Monday, that "the ruling military council has officially postponed the general elections it had promised to hold by next month following the 2021 coup." The military council leader, General Min Aung Hlaing, decided during a meeting held today with the army-backed National Defense and Security Council to extend the state of emergency for another six months.
The army had committed to holding elections by August 2023 after overthrowing the elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, but it indicated in a statement today that the reason for delaying the elections is ongoing violence. It added, "To conduct free and fair elections and to vote without any fear, there is still a need for security arrangements, thus an extension of the state of emergency is necessary." Myanmar has been in chaos since the coup, with one resistance movement engaged in fighting the army on multiple fronts following a violent crackdown on opponents that led to the reimposition of Western sanctions.
