Myanmar military says elections will be held after 1 year of emergency: Report

New Delhi: The Myanmar military said on Monday the new election in the country will be held after the end of one-year emergency, which was imposed earlier in the day following the coup by the army leadership.

The military said during the state of emergency, the Union Election Commission will be reformed and the parliamentary elections held in November last year will be reviewed, Xinhua reported. The Myanmar military staged a coup and detained State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and several other civilian leaders.

The move by the military has been condemned by several countries. The military declared a state of emergency in the country for one year.

The state power has been handed over to Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services Min Aung Hlaing, while Myanmar’s first Vice-President Myint Swe will serve as the acting president of the country.

The military said there was massive voting fraud in the elections on November 8, 2020, and demanded postponement of new parliamentary sessions. The Union Election Commission dismissed the allegations last week.

Myanmar, also known as Burma, was ruled by the military until democratic reforms began in 2011. Mobile internet data connections and some phone services have been disrupted in major cities, while the state broadcaster MRTV says it is having technical issues and is off air.

Communications with Nay Pyi Taw are down and it is difficult to assess the situation there. In the country’s largest city and former capital Yangon, phone lines and internet connectivity appear to be limited, with many providers cutting their services.

People were seen lining up at ATM’s in Yangon amid expectations of a cash crunch in the coming days.

Banks have temporarily halted all financial services, according to the Myanmar Banks Association.