NAYPYIDAW, MYANMAR – In a significant and widely scrutinized development, Myanmar's military has announced the end of the nationwide state of emergency that was imposed during the February 2021 coup. The ruling State Administration Council (SAC) has been dissolved and replaced by a new provisional government, a move the military claims is a crucial step toward holding general elections and restoring a degree of civilian rule.
The announcement, made on Thursday, marks a new chapter in the country's protracted political crisis. According to the military, the formation of a caretaker government is intended to create the necessary conditions for multiparty elections, which are tentatively scheduled to be held in stages between December 2025 and January 2026.
Despite the structural changes, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of the 2021 coup, remains the central figure of authority. While he has formally relinquished the title of Prime Minister, he will now serve as the Acting President. Furthermore, he will chair the newly formed "National Defense and Peacekeeping Commission," which has replaced the SAC, and will also lead an 11-member commission tasked with overseeing the upcoming electoral process.
This consolidation of power in Min Aung Hlaing's hands has led many observers to believe that the overhaul is largely cosmetic, designed to create a façade of civilian governance while keeping the military's grip on power firmly intact.
A Pathway to Democracy or a Legitimization of Rule?
The military government has presented the plan as a pathway out of the ongoing civil war and a means to normalize relations with the international community. However, the move has been met with profound skepticism both domestically and abroad.
Opposition groups, including the shadow National Unity Government (NUG) comprised of ousted lawmakers, have denounced the plan as a "fraud" and an "electoral sleight-of-hand." They have vowed to boycott the polls, arguing that free and fair elections are impossible while most leaders of the former ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), remain imprisoned, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, and with independent media outlets suppressed.
Adding to these concerns, the military recently enacted harsh electoral laws that impose severe prison sentences—and even the death penalty—for any actions or speech deemed to be disruptive to the voting process.
International Community Reacts with Caution and Condemnation
The international response to the announcement has been largely critical, reflecting deep-seated distrust of the military's intentions.
A spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General expressed serious concern about the plan to hold elections amidst ongoing armed conflict, widespread human rights violations, and without the conditions that would permit the people of Myanmar to freely and peacefully exercise their political rights.
Japan's Foreign Ministry issued a statement urging the military to immediately cease violence and release all political detainees. It warned that holding elections without genuine political progress could "provoke further strong backlash from the people of Myanmar."
Western nations and human rights groups have been more direct in their condemnation, labeling the planned elections as a sham designed to legitimize the military's rule under a veneer of democracy.
The move has, however, been cautiously welcomed by China, which stated its willingness to support efforts by all parties in Myanmar to resolve differences through political dialogue.
While the nationwide state of emergency has been lifted, martial law has paradoxically been imposed in more than 60 townships across the country where armed resistance against military rule is most intense, casting further doubt on the feasibility of a credible and inclusive election.