Plans for junta 2023 election rejected by political parties and revolutionary forces

03 August 2022
Plans for junta 2023 election rejected by political parties and revolutionary forces

Revolutionary forces and political parties across the country have said they will reject the results of any future election organised by the Military Council and will only accept the results of the 2020 election.

The comments came after the Military Council announced on 31 July that it was extending Myanmar's state of emergency for another six months to 1 February 2023.

The Military Council claimed that the extension was put in place so that it could prepare for elections. According to the constitution, this will be the last extension of the state of emergency and elections will be held no later than six months after 1 February 2023.

According to the 2008 constitution, Myanmar can be kept in a state of emergency for a maximum of two years, Initially, it can be declared for a year and then renewed twice for six months each time.

After the coup on 1 February 2021, a state of emergency was declared for a year. That was followed by another six-month extension that expired on 31 July. The recently declared extension should, if the junta obey the constitution, be the last one because when it expires on 1 February 2022 the country will have been under a state of emergency for two years.