July 31 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The military junta that governs Burma has announced this Sunday a six-month extension of the state of emergency, until February 1, 2023, to, according to its explanation, give room for the country to regain stability and prepare the call for elections.
The acting president, Myint Swe, has approved the extension at the request of the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Min Aung Hlaing, during a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council -the official name of the military junta- held in the capital, Naypyidaw, reports the Bloomberg news agency.
“Measures are necessary for relevant organizations including the Electoral Commission. Political parties must also make changes to adapt to the new electoral system and the population must also be educated about it, so more time is needed,” said Min Aung. Hlaing, according to state television, MRTV.
The state of emergency has been in force since February 1, 2021, the date of the coup that brought the Army to power and displaced the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi. In January, Min Aung Hlaing already extended the state of emergency for six months and appointed himself prime minister.
Last week the military regime executed four political activists in the first death sentences carried out in the last three decades. Since the coup d’état, more than 2,100 civilians have died and various armed groups of an ethnic nature or opposed to the dictatorship have taken up arms.
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