Myanmar extends state of emergency, delaying elections

YANGON (AFP) — Myanmar’s military authorities announced a sixmonth extension to a state of emergency on Wednesday, effectively delaying elections the junta had pledged to hold by August, as they battle anti-coup fighters across the country.

The Southeast Asian country has been in turmoil since the army’s power grab in 2021, and a subsequent crackdown on dissent has sparked fighting across swathes of the nation while tanking the economy.

Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing acknowledged that more than a third of the country’s townships are not under full military control, in comments reported by state media on Wednesday.

The admission came on the second anniversary of the putsch, as the National Defense and Security Council agreed to prolong the state of emergency declared when the generals toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s government.

The “state of emergency will be extended for another six months starting from Feb. 1,” Acting President Myint Swe was quoted as saying by state media.

Extending the state of emergency pushes back the date by which elections must be held, according to the country’s constitution.

The army ruled Myanmar for decades after independence from Britain in 1948, and dominated the country’s economy and politics even before the coup.