Myanmar military leader takes up the role of prime minister for caretaker government
Kathmandu, August 2. Myanmar’s military ruler Min Aung Hlaing has taken on the role of prime minister in a newly formed caretaker government, state media reported on Sunday, six months after the army seized power from a civilian government.
In a speech on Sunday, Min Aung Hlaing repeated a pledge to hold elections by 2023 and said his administration was ready to work with a future regional envoy on Myanmar.The announcement and speech came exactly six months after the army seized power Feb. 1 from a civilian government following elections that were won by Aung San Suu Kyi’s ruling party but that the military said had been fraudulent.
Min Aung Hlaing has chaired the State Administration Council (SAC) that was formed just after the coup and that has run Myanmar since then, and the caretaker government will replace it.
In his speech, Min Aung Hlaing repeated a pledge to restore democracy, saying, “We will accomplish the provisions of the state of emergency by August 2023. I guarantee the establishment of a union based on democracy and federalism.”
Shortly after the coup, junta leaders promised new elections within two years. The reference on Sunday to August 2023 was interpreted by some local media as extending that time frame by six months.
Min Aung Hlaing also said his administration would work with any special envoy named by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The army seized power after Suu Kyi’s ruling party won elections that the military argues were tainted by fraud. It has said its takeover was in line with the constitution. The country’s electoral commission has dismissed the fraud allegations.
After the coup, Suu Kyi, 75, was charged with several crimes. Her trial on charges of illegally possessing walkie-talkie radios and breaking coronavirus protocols is scheduled to resume on Monday.
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