Declaration of Military Rule Extension Until August 2023, Six Months After the Coup in February
[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Min Aung Hlaing, the top leader of the Myanmar military who seized power in a military coup last February, has appointed himself as Prime Minister and announced the establishment of a transitional government. The transitional government, led by the Myanmar military, is reportedly planning to continue ruling until August next year and then hold a general election. Accordingly, the Myanmar military's emergency rule has been extended to two years and six months, more than twice the originally announced one year. With the extension of the military's rule, concerns are rising that violent crackdowns will intensify, dealing a severe blow to Myanmar's pro-democracy forces.
According to foreign media including the AP on the 1st (local time), the Myanmar military announced through the state-run media Myawaddy TV that it had established a transitional government with Commander-in-Chief Hlaing as Prime Minister. The Myanmar military emphasized in a statement that "the existing State Administration Council (SAC) will be swiftly replaced by the transitional government."
In a speech on the same day, the newly appointed Prime Minister Hlaing stated, "The emergency rule by the transitional government will continue until August 2023," and promised, "After that, a general election will definitely be held." Thus, the Myanmar military's emergency rule has been extended to two years and six months. Previously, at the time of the coup on February 1, the Myanmar military had announced that the emergency rule would last for one year.
With the extension of the Myanmar military's rule, the National League for Democracy (NLD), the pro-democracy force led by former State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, is expected to suffer a significant blow. According to CNN, the Myanmar military has applied various charges against Suu Kyi, including election fraud, and she is expected to be imprisoned for more than 10 years.
In addition, NLD politicians and protest leaders have been arrested and detained on charges of orchestrating over 11 million cases of election fraud in the last general election. Therefore, CNN reports that even if the 2023 general election is held, it is expected to be difficult for the NLD to recover.
Across Myanmar, anti-military protests condemning the transitional government and anti-military activities are taking place in various locations. According to the Myanmar Political Prisoners Assistance Association (AAPP), a civic group led by Myanmar's pro-democracy forces, 940 Myanmar citizens have died due to the military's violent crackdown since last February, and 5,444 have been detained.
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