Myanmar junta ends state of emergency
‘The state of emergency is abolished today in order for the country to hold elections on the path to a multi-party democracy.’
Text size
Share
Daily Tribune‘The state of emergency is abolished today in order for the country to hold elections on the path to a multi-party democracy.’
Share
Women use umbrellas to cover from the rain as they wait for the bus in Yangon on July 21, 2025.
Sai Aung MAIN/AFP
YANGON (AFP) — Myanmar’s junta ended its state of emergency on Thursday, ramping up plans for a December election that opposition groups pledged to boycott and monitors said will be used to consolidate the military’s power.
The military declared a state of emergency in February 2021 as it deposed the civilian government of democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking a many-sided civil war which has claimed thousands of lives.
The order gave junta chief Min Aung Hlaing supreme power over the legislature, executive and judiciary — but he has recently touted elections as an off-ramp to the conflict.
Opposition groups including ex-lawmakers ousted in the coup have pledged to snub the poll, which a United Nations (UN) expert last month dismissed as “a fraud” designed to legitimize the military’s continuing rule.
“The state of emergency is abolished today in order for the country to hold elections on the path to a multi-party democracy,” junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun said in a voice message shared with reporters.
“Elections will be held within six months,” he added.
Analysts predict Min Aung Hlaing will keep a role as either president or armed forces chief following the election and consolidate power in that office, thereby extending his tenure as de facto ruler.
A flurry of statements and orders announced a new “Union Government” had been formed alongside a “National Security and Peace Commission” to oversee defense and the election process.
Both will be led by Min Aung Hlaing who will remain acting president, according to orders he signed himself.
