Myanmar’s Junta Ends State of Emergency, Enacts Tough Election Law 

Myanmar’s junta on Thursday ended the state of emergency it imposed more than four years ago, following a move to introduce a harsh electoral law that threatens the death penalty for anyone who opposes or disrupts the December election it has promised to hold, France 24 reported.  

The military declared a state of emergency in February 2021 after overthrowing the civilian government led by democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, triggering a multi-sided civil war that has killed thousands of people.  

The junta tried to justify seizing power by claiming that massive fraud had occurred in the 2020 election. However, independent observers did not find evidence to support the claim, the Associated Press added. 

Afterward, military chief Min Aung Hlaing gained supreme power over the legislature, executive, and judiciary. The junta said that holding an election was a primary goal but pushed back the date multiple times. 

Now, the junta announced the formation of an 11-member commission led by Min Aung Hlaing to oversee the election, which has already been criticized by international monitors and is expected to be boycotted by opposition groups. 

The new electoral law, which took effect Wednesday, imposes severe penalties for disrupting the election process, including prison sentences ranging from three years to life, depending on the offense. 

The more severe sentences are reserved for those who threaten or harm election officials or damage materials related to the elections, from ballots to buildings. 

Moreover, if there are disruptive acts such as protests resulting in the death of an individual person, every person involved will be sentenced to death. 

Critics argue that the military-organized election will neither be free nor fair, as there is no free media and most leaders of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party have been arrested.  

Analysts say the plan to hold a general election is an attempt by Myanmar’s junta to normalize the military’s seizure of power through a vote and obtain a result that grants the generals control. 

Meanwhile, the country’s security situation won’t easily allow for an election – the military is believed to control less than half the country. Analysts also expect that rebels may launch attacks around the election to signal their opposition. 

This month, however, the junta began offering cash incentives to armed groups willing to lay down their arms and “return to the legal fold” ahead of the vote.”