An election would be conducted on Monday, the head of Myanmar’s junta announced, flanked by tanks and missile launchers, weeks after the military admitted it did not control enough land to permit one.
Since the military overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government more than two years ago over unproven allegations of election fraud, Myanmar has been in turmoil.
Numerous anti-junta “People’s Defence Forces” (PDFs) were created as a result of the putsch, which left large areas of the nation in ruins and the economy in ruins.
Around 8,000 military personnel were present for the yearly Armed Forces Day parade in the capital Naypyidaw. Min Aung Hlaing promised that the military would take “decisive action” against its adversaries and any ethnic rebels who supported them.
“The terror acts of NUG and its lackey so-called PDFs need to be tackled for good and all,” he said, referring to the “National Unity Government”, a body dominated by ousted lawmakers working to reverse the coup.
After the state of emergency was lifted, the junta would conduct “free and fair elections,” he said.
The military delayed elections it had pledged to hold by August because it did not control enough of the nation to allow for a vote to take place. Last month, the military declared a six-month extension of a two-year state of emergency.
Before any election could take place, Min Aung Hlaing told the parade, “Serenity and stability are vital.”
