Team News Riveting
Myanmar’s junta Chief Min Aung Hlaing failed to keep his promise and proposed to hold the elections only after two years.
In a televised address on Sunday, he said that elections would be held and a state of emergency lifted by August 2023, signalling extending the military’s initial timeline given when it deposed Aung San Suu Kyi six months ago.
Min Aung Hlaing said, “We will accomplish the provisions of the state of emergency by August 2023. I pledge to hold multiple elections without fail.”
The general’s announcement would place Myanmar in the military’s grip for nearly two and a half years – breaking his earlier promise of a one-year timeline announced days after the 1 February coup.
The army had clarified that power grab was necessitated following massive fraud during the 2020 elections won by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy in a landslide. Last week it cancelled the results of the polls, announcing it had uncovered over 11 million instances of voter fraud.
According to the source, Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s de facto leader since 2016, had grown too close to China for the generals’ liking. China has not supported military rule in Myanmar and attempts to resolve the conflict peacefully without foreign interference.
The extension of military rule in Myanmar would not go well with China that had been desperate to protect its investment. Myanmar is a major trade partner of China. The latter was now preparing its strategy to go with the military regime as China felt the system would continue for long in Myanmar risking its huge investment.
