Myanmar's Military Says to Hold New Elections after End of Emergency

The President's Office declared the state of emergency after State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint and other senior officials were detained by the military.

The military said that 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 News Agency reported.

The state power will be handed over to Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services Min Aung Hlaing, the military-owned Myawaddy TV said in a statement.

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

"I received internal reports about our state counsellor and president being taken by the military. As far as I was informed, Shan State's Planning and Finance Minister U Soe Nyunt Lwin, Kayah state's NLD chairman Thaung Htay and some NLD representatives of the Ayeyarwady region's parliament have been detained," the spokesperson said.

"Two members of Central Executive Committee of the party were taken and I am also waiting to be detained as I was informed by our members that my turn will come shortly," he said.

The Myanmar President's Office declared a state of emergency which will last for one year. The declaration signed by First Vice President U Myint Swe, who is serving as the acting president, was announced on the military-owned Myawaddy TV.

The state power will be handed over to Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services Min Aung Hlaing, the TV said in a statement.

"The President shall declare the transferring of legislative, executive and judicial powers of the Union to the Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Services to enable him to carry out necessary measures to speedily restore its original situation in the Union," the Section 418 (a) of the Constitution said.

The legislative functions of all parliaments and leading bodies will be suspended from the day of declaration, it said.

According to reports, the Myanmar military have taken control of multiple governments and parliaments in many parts of Myanmar. Telecommunications in capital city of Nay Pyi Taw and some other regions and states had also been cut off.

In Myanmar's largest city of Yangon, the city hall building has been controlled by the military, and military personnel could be seen sitting inside the gate holding guns. On Yangon streets, Xinhua reporters could see that locals were generally calm and some of them were talking about the detention.

The state-run Radio and Television (MRTV) said on its social media that it was no longer working on Monday morning.

The first regular session of the new parliament sessions was scheduled to begin with convening the House of Representatives on Monday, the House of Nationalities on Tuesday and the Union Parliamentary session on Feb. 5.

The upcoming parliamentary sessions will elect speakers for both houses of the parliament, form parliamentary committees, and elect the president and vice presidents of Myanmar.