Naypyidaw, 31 January 2025: Myanmar’s military government has extended the country’s state of emergency for another six months, struggling to maintain control amid escalating conflict on multiple fronts.
The National Defence and Security Council, led by military officials, renewed emergency rule on Friday in Naypyidaw, a day before the fourth anniversary of the 2021 coup that ended a decade of tentative democracy.
“All members of the National Defence and Security Council, including the commander-in-chief and acting president, decided unanimously to extend the state of emergency for another six months under Section 425 of the 2008 constitution,” the ruling junta announced in a statement.
The extension comes as Myanmar remains engulfed in armed resistance against military rule, with ethnic militias and anti-junta forces launching coordinated offensives since late 2023.
The state-run MRTV justified the decision, stating, “Stability and peace are still needed for a free and fair election.”
Coup, Resistance, and Delayed Elections
Myanmar’s military seized power on February 1, 2021, deposing the elected National League for Democracy (NLD) government and arresting its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
The junta, led by Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing, claimed—without evidence—that the NLD’s landslide 2020 election victory was tainted by fraud.
Since the coup, the military has repeatedly extended emergency rule, citing security concerns as it brutally suppressed protests and fought insurgencies. Min Aung Hlaing, who also serves as self-appointed prime minister and president, had originally promised elections by August 2023, but the plan was abandoned as armed resistance gained momentum.
The United States Institute of Peace has described the military’s ongoing struggles as a crisis of “unprecedented scale”, with the junta suffering major defeats in northern and western Myanmar. Despite these setbacks, international pressure is mounting for elections, which are now expected in late 2025.
Under the 2008 military-drafted constitution, authorities must hold elections within six months of lifting emergency rule. The next National Defence and Security Council meeting is scheduled for July 31, when the emergency could be officially lifted, setting the stage for elections by early 2026.
However, opposition forces have vowed to disrupt any military-organized elections, viewing them as a ploy to legitimize the junta. Richard Horsey, Myanmar adviser to the Crisis Group, told Al Jazeera that indications suggest elections may be held later this year, possibly in November, the traditional polling month in Myanmar.
“The return to the 2008 constitution would be welcomed by Myanmar’s military and its key ally, China,” Horsey said, adding that it might bring a measure of predictability to the junta’s rule.
“There’s hope that it could lead to fewer random decisions by Min Aung Hlaing.”
