Elections delayed, state of emergency extended: Myanmar continues its protests

Myanmar’s military government announced Wednesday that is extending a state of emergency originally imposed when it seized power two years ago. This is expected to set back its plans for an election which were expected in August. In pic, Myint Swe, acting President of the military government, attends the National Defense and Security Council meeting Tuesday. (AP)

Filipino activists stage a protest in solidarity with Myanmar citizens, two years since Myanmar's military coup, outside the Embassy of Myanmar in Makati City, Philippines, February 1, 2023. (Reuters)

Speaking about the elections, Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing asserted that they were not ready for polls "as they don't have an 'accurate' voter list, and since nearly half of the more than 300 townships in Myanmar lack security and stability. In major cities across Myanmar, streets emptied as people stayed home in protest against a rally in Yangon organised by about 100 supporters of the military. (Reuters)

According to Myanmar's News Agency, military junta chief Min Aung Hlaing submitted a report to council members reflecting on two years of military rule as required by the army-drafted 2008 Constitution, which he used to rationalise his claim to power on February 1, 2021, when he staged a coup. (Reuters)

Military-governed Myanmar declared a state of emergency for a year in 2021 after the coup and has since extended it twice for six months each time with the most recent one expiring on Wednesday. (Reuters)

Thousands of people have died in civil conflict and many more have been forced from their homes in a dire humanitarian crisis in Myanmar after the coup. In pic, Myanmar's Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing presides an army parade on Armed Forces Day in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, March 27, 2021.(AP Photo, File)

Experts say that the prospects for peace in Myanmar seem dimmer than ever two years after the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Police and soldiers armed with guns and slingshots advance towards anti-coup protesters in Mandalay, Myanmar, Wednesday, March 3, 2021. (AP Photo, File)

The three-fingers salute was developed as a symbol of resistance which can be seen during a demonstration during by police crack down in Thaketa township Yangon, Myanmar, Saturday, March 27, 2021. (AP Photo, File)