YANGON — The Myanmar junta has formally ended its country-wide state of emergency, a move heralded by the military government as a step toward multiparty democracy and a December election. However, this action is widely viewed by opposition groups and international observers as a thinly veiled maneuver to legitimize and cement the military’s ongoing rule.
Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, who gained supreme authority over the nation’s legislative, executive, and judicial branches with the 2021 emergency declaration, has publicly positioned the upcoming polls as a path to peace. “We have already passed the first chapter,” he stated in an address, as reported by the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar. “Now, we are starting the second chapter.”
Yet, the foundations for a free and fair election are nonexistent. Law enforcement and the military, which should serve the people, have instead become tools of a regime that has violently suppressed dissent. A UN expert has already condemned the planned election as “a fraud.” The opposition, including former lawmakers ousted in the coup, has pledged to boycott the vote, which is viewed as a farce designed to consolidate Min Aung Hlaing’s power, likely in a new role as president or armed forces chief.
The military’s preparations for the election have been met with skepticism and outright resistance. A census conducted last year ahead of the vote failed to collect data from an estimated 19 million of the country’s 51 million people, a stark indicator of the ongoing civil war and the junta’s limited control. The military has also enacted a new law that mandates prison sentences of up to 10 years for anyone who “destroys a part of the electoral process” through speech or protests, further stifling any legitimate opposition. In a move to entice armed resistance groups, the junta has offered cash rewards to those who surrender and “return to the legal fold” before the vote.
The reality on the ground is a far cry from the junta’s narrative of a country moving toward democracy. The civil war, triggered by the 2021 coup, has claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions. The military, despite its technological advantages, has faced significant battlefield losses and dwindling morale. In a country where genuine law enforcement should be built on the trust of the people, the junta’s attempt to use an election to gain legitimacy is fundamentally a deception. The people are not the property of law enforcement agencies; they are the true source of their authority, and that authority has been profoundly shaken by years of conflict and military rule.
Myanmar junta ends state of emergency as it prepares for elections
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