Myanmar's junta ends four-year state of emergency ahead of planned elections but top general still in charge
An announcement in state media said a decree that granted power to the military after its 2021 coup had been canceled and a caretaker administration had been formed alongside a special commission to oversee the election.
The move signals no change to the status quo in Myanmar, with coup leader Min Aung Hlaing holding on to all major levers of power as acting president while retaining his position as chief of the armed forces.
A nationwide state of emergency in place since the coup, which was due to expire on Thursday after seven extensions, has now been lifted, said Zaw Min Tun, a government spokesperson.
'The interim president and commander in chief said this upcoming six months are the time to prepare and host the election,' he told state media.
Myanmar has been in chaos since the coup against Aung San Suu Kyi's elected civilian government plunged the Southeast Asian nation into civil war, with the military fighting to contain a rebellion and accused of widespread atrocities, which it denies.
The election has been dismissed by Western governments as a sham to entrench the generals' power and is expected to be dominated by proxies of the military, with opposition groups either barred from running or refusing to take part.
David Mathieson, an independent Myanmar-focused analyst, said the change in power was cosmetic and those in charge would continue to be abusive and repressive.
'They are just rearranging the same pieces and calling the regime a new name,' he said. 'This is part of preparations for an election which we don't know much about.'
The extent of the civil war's impact on the planned election remains unclear. In an effort to create voter rolls, the junta held a nationwide census last year but was only able to conduct it in 145 out of Myanmar's 330 townships - reflecting its lack of control over swathes of the country.
At a meeting of defense officials on Thursday, Min Aung Hlaing said voting in the election would be held in different areas in December and January due to security concerns, state-run MRTV reported in its nightly news bulletin.
Martial law and a state of emergency would be imposed in more than 60 townships across nine regions and states due to the threat of violence and insurgency, the report said, many in border areas where the military is facing unprecedented resistance from rebel groups.
China's foreign ministry on Thursday said it 'supports Myanmar's development path in line with its national conditions and Myanmar's steady advancement of its domestic political agenda.'
The military has killed more than 6,000 people and arbitrarily detained over 20,000 since the coup, with more than 3.5 million people internally displaced, an Amnesty International report said in January.
Myanmar's military has dismissed allegations of abuses as Western disinformation.
It justified its 2021 coup as a necessary intervention following what it said was widespread fraud in an election three months earlier that was won decisively by Suu Kyi's now defunct ruling party.
Election monitors found no evidence of fraud that would have changed the outcome.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Kansas governor candidate Cindy Holscher objects to alleged pressure campaign by Kelly's staff
Sen. Cindy Holscher, a Johnson County Democrat seeking the party's nomination for governor in 2026, said staff in the administration of Gov. Laura Kelly attempted to pressure Democratic lawmakers into idling their campaigns for governor so a preferred candidate could prevail. (Grace Hills/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA — State Sen. Cindy Holscher expressed frustration Friday with behind-the-scene involvement of Gov. Laura Kelly's staff in attempting to influence who launched a campaign for the Kansas Democratic Party's nomination for governor in 2026. Holscher, who announced her bid for governor in June, said she was among three Democrats in the Kansas Senate told by the Kelly administration to stand aside so Democratic primary voters would be more likely to nominate Lawrence attorney Chris Mann in the race to determine who would be the party's choice to replace the term-limited Kelly. Holscher said she as well as Sens. Dinah Sykes and Ethan Corson, also of Johnson County, were initially discouraged from impeding Mann's path in the August 2026 primary for governor. 'All three of us were told basically 'do not run' because Chris Mann's the guy,' Holscher said. 'Why are insiders picking candidates? We're being bullied, essentially.' After the dust cleared at the end of July, Mann had chosen to launch another campaign for attorney general after narrowly losing to Republican Kris Kobach in 2022. Corson and Holscher had declared their campaigns for governor. Kelly threw her support to Corson. Lt. Gov. David Toland, at one point the presumed frontrunner in a Democratic gubernatorial race, said he wouldn't run. Sykes remained on the sideline. Will Lawrence, Kelly's chief of staff, said the two-term governor met with potential Democratic candidates for governor and offered advice on how each could approach the 2026 election cycle. 'No one told them, 'You can't run.' They can make their own decisions,' Lawrence said. 'There's a lot of give and take in those conversations. It was never forceful. Cindy was the one that kept coming to the governor trying to get her support. The governor kept saying, 'I'm not going to support you in the governor's race if that's what you choose to do.' The governor was very clear about that.' Lawrence said Kelly would prefer Democrats didn't set the stage for grueling primary battles in statewide races. In an interview, Holscher said it was disappointing Lawrence had participated in an effort to essentially anoint a Democratic nominee for governor. Holscher also asserted Lawrence attempted to leverage future political support from the governor to secure Holscher's vote for a bill altering regulation of child care facilities and exemptions to vaccination mandates. Holscher said it was concerning that Lawrence wielded financial influence over Democratic campaigns by controlling the governor's Middle of the Road political action committee. 'This whole situation is what frustrates Democrats,' Holscher said. She said Democrats suffered under Republican supermajorities in the House and Senate. In the Senate, the GOP edge stands at 31-9 — the same mix as in 2018. The House GOP majority is 88-37, representing the addition of three Republican representatives since 2018. 'If you take a look, you know, we've had the governor's office the past seven years. We haven't advanced in terms of growing our numbers. We've gone backward,' she said. Lawrence, who has held a leadership role with the governor's $2.3 million PAC, made a push during the 2024 elections to alter the balance of power in the Legislature. The Republican supermajority was targeted by Democrats because the GOP's numerical advantage made it easier to override Kelly's vetoes. Outcome of the 2024 election was a disappointment for Democrats up and down the ballot, Lawrence said. Holscher notified Lawrence in mid-June about her views on the Kelly administration's involvement in the development of Democratic campaigns for governor. Holscher sent a text to Lawrence, obtained by Kansas Reflector, that included a warning that Holscher would 'swiftly hand over all the proof I have to the press' of the governor's intervention in Democratic campaigns. 'I am so done with the games coming from you and the governor's office,' Holscher's message to Lawrence said. 'I want to be very clear about something.' Holscher vowed she would go to the media if anyone affiliated with the Kelly administration 'says anything negative about me or my candidacy,' attempted to interfere with Holscher's hiring of campaign staff or in signing up volunteers, 'does so much as attempt to put a thumb on the scale in any way to interfere with this election' or made use of the Democratic Governors Association, which is led by Kelly, to 'impede or negatively influence' her Democratic primary. In the interview, Lawrence said language used by Holscher in the text could be interpreted as an attempt to intentionally gain something of value from Lawrence or Kelly against their will. 'It would be worthwhile for Cindy to take a look at the statute and reassess how she communicates with people,' Lawrence said. 'Extremely disappointing behavior. Questionable behavior. Not someone who has gubernatorial temperament, who has to compromise and negotiate on things every day in this building.' In a July social media post after Kelly embraced Corson's candidacy for governor, Holscher offered an explanation as to why Kelly chose to support Corson. Holscher wrote pressure had been applied by Lawrence regarding an upcoming vote during the 2025 session on House Bill 2045. It rolled back child care safety standards and tinkered with exemptions to vaccination mandates. Holscher voted against the bill, which passed the House and Senate with bipartisan votes and was signed into law by Kelly. 'I had received tons of emails from constituents adamantly opposed to the bill,' Holscher's post said. 'The gov and Will (her chief of staff), told me that if I didn't support it, the governor's office wouldn't be supportive of me in future races. I wasn't going to go against my district and the people I represent, so I voted 'no.' So, it looks like they are holding true to that threat.' Lawrence said he didn't agree with Holscher's analysis of meetings the senator had with the governor about the legislation. 'That vote has nothing to do with the gubernatorial election,' Lawrence said. Holscher, elected to the House in 2016 and to the Senate in 2020, has been endorsed by former Lt. Gov. Lynn Rogers. He served in Kelly's first term before appointed to the job of Kansas state treasurer in 2021. Corson, who entered the Senate in 2021, said in an interview at the Capitol that he appreciated Kelly's expression of support. It was helpful to voters because Kansans wanted the kind of bipartisan, moderate leadership delivered by Kelly since sworn into office in 2019, Corson said. He said he hadn't taken notice of social media chatter about Holscher's claims of how the Kelly administration handled legislators who declined to fall into line with the governor. 'I just haven't seen any of that,' Corson said. 'I haven't paid attention to it. We've been out there talking to folks and trying to meet people in real life.' Candidates lined up to take part in the Kansas Republican Party's campaign for governor included Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt, Senate President Ty Masterson, Secretary of State Scott Schwab and former Gov. Jeff Colyer.
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chabria: Whom should Democrats back, 'a straight, old white guy' or Kamala Harris?
Kamala Harris does not want to be governor of California, which has a whole lot of contenders (and some voters) doing a happy dance this week. But with her announcement Wednesday that she is bowing out of a race she never officially entered, Harris has ignited a flurry of speculation that she's warming up for another run at the White House in 2028. Whether you like Harris or not, a possible run by the XX chromosome former vice president raises a perennial conundrum: Can a woman win the presidency? "This question is legitimate," Nadia E. Brown told me. She's a professor of government and director of the Women's and Gender Studies Program at Georgetown University. She points out that post-election, Democrats can't figure out who they are or what they stand for. In that disarray, it may seem easy and safe in 2028 to travel the well-worn route of "a straight, old white guy who fills the status quo." Read more: Run for president? Start a podcast? Tackle AI? Kamala Harris' options are wide open That may be especially true in the Trump era, when an increasingly vocal and empowered slice of America seems to believe that women do, in fact, belong in the kitchen making sandwiches, far away from any decision beyond turkey or ham. Brown points out that even Democrats who flaunt their progressive values, including how much they'd love to vote for a female president, may harbor secret sexism that comes out in the privacy of the voting booth. Post-2024, Harris' defeat — and deciphering what it means — has caused a lot of "morning-after anxiety and agita," she said. "We're all doing research, we're all in the field trying to figure this out." While confused Democrats diddle in private with their feelings, Republicans have made race and gender the center of their platform, even if they cloak it under economic talk. The party's position on race has become painfully clear with its stance that all undocumented immigrants are criminals and deserving of horrific detention in places such as "Alligator Alcatraz" or even foreign prisons known for torture. The Republican position on women is slightly more cloaked, but no less retrograde. Whether it's the refusal to tell the public how Trump is included in the Epstein files, the swift and brutal erosion of reproductive rights, or claims, such as the one by far-right podcaster Charlie Kirk, that the only reason for women to attend college should be to get a "Mrs." degree, Republicans have made little secret of the fact that equality is not part of their package. Although Trump's approval ratings have tanked over immigration, he did win just over half of the popular vote last fall. So that's a lot of Americans who either agree with him, or at least aren't bothered by these pre-civil rights ideas on race and gender. Add to that reality the eager pack of nice, safe Democratic white guys who are lining up for their own chance at the Oval Office — our current California governor included — and it does beg the question for the left: Is a woman worth the risk? "I've definitely seen and heard consultants and, you know, even anxious women donors say, 'Maybe this means we can't run a woman.' And I think it's completely normal for certain elements of the party to be anxious about gender," said Mini Timmaraju, president and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All, a grassroots advocacy group. She too thinks the gender question is "logical" since it has been blamed — though not by her — as "the reason we lost to Donald Trump twice in a row, right? Whereas Biden was able to beat him." While Timmaraju is clear that those losses can't — and shouldn't — be tied to gender alone, gender also can't be ignored when the margins are thin. Read more: Chabria: 3 things that should scare us about Trump's fake video of Obama Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of the progressive political organizing group Our Revolution, which backed Bernie Sanders for president in 2016, said that gender and race are always a factor, but he believes the bigger question for any candidate in 2028 will be their platform. Harris, he said, "lost not because she was a woman. She lost because she did not embrace an economic populist message. And I think the electorate is angry about their standard of living declining, and they're angry about the elites controlling D.C. and enriching themselves." Geevarghese told me he sees an opposite momentum building within the party and the electorate — a desire to not play it safe. "Whoever it is — male, female, gay, straight, Black, white, Asian — the candidate's got to have a critique of this moment, and it can't be a normie Dem." Brown, the professor, adds, rightfully, that looking at the question of a female candidate's chances through the lens of just Harris is too narrow. There are lots of women likely to jump into the race. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are just two names already in the mix. Brown adds that an outside contender such as a woman from a political dynasty (think Obama) or a celebrity along the lines of Trump could also make headway. The criticisms of Harris, with her baggage of losing the election and critiques of how she handled the campaign and the media, may not dog another female candidate, especially with voters. 'Whether Kamala runs again or not, I'm optimistic that the American people will vote for a female president," Vanessa Cardenas told me. She is the executive director of America's Voice, an advocacy group for immigrants' rights. Cardenas points out that Hillary Clinton received more than 65 million votes (winning the popular vote), and Harris topped 75 million. If just Latinos had gone for Harris, instead of breaking in an ongoing rightward shift, she would have won. Cardenas thinks Latino votes could shift again in 2028. "After the chaos, cruelty and incompetence of the Trump presidency, Latino voters, like most Americans, will reward candidates who can speak most authentically and seem most ready to fight for an alternative vision of America," she said. "I believe women, and women of color, can credibility and forcibly speak to the need for change rooted in the lived experiences of their communities." Timmaraju said that regardless of what Harris decides, Democrats will probably have one of the most robust primaries in recent times — which can only be good for the party and for voters. And rather than asking, "Can a woman win?" the better question would be, "Do we really want a system that won't let them try?" Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Early voting starts in Newton County for August election
NEWTON COUNTY, Mo. — The August election is just days away. That means early voting is underway in Newton County. It's a short ballot, a countywide use tax question for all residents of Newton County as well as a city use tax for those living in Neosho. The county clerk's office is open tomorrow, August 2, to cast a ballot; that's from 8:00 a.m. until noon. You can also vote on Monday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Tuesday is election day, with polls open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Voting hours summary: Friday, August 2, Newton County Clerk's Office — 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Monday, August 5, Newton County Clerk's Office — 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 6, ELECTION DAY — 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. We'll have the latest election results that night on KODE Action 12 News at 10 and online right here at Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
