Myanmar military declares one-year state of emergency

Myanmar’s military declared a one-year state of emergency on Monday, handing power to a former general after arresting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior officials.

An announcement read out on military-owned Myawaddy TV said the move was needed to preserve the “stability” of the state, accusing the country’s election commission of failing to address “huge irregularities” in a November election.

Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s de facto leader, was detained in the early hours along with the president and other top politicians after weeks of tensions with the military over the allegations of vote-rigging.

“The UEC (election commission) failed to solve huge voter lists irregularities in the multiparty general election which was held on 8 November 2020,” said the statement signed by the new acting president Myint Swe, a former general who had been vice-president.

The statement accused “other party organisations” of “harming the stability of the state”.

“As the situation must be resolved according to the law, a state of emergency is declared.”

The statement said responsibility for “legislation, administration and judiciary” had been handed over to military commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing.