Myanmar military declares one-year state of emergency

Commuters make their way in front of the banners ahead of the reopening of the parliament on February 1 following the November 2020 elections which Aung San Suu Kyi’s ruling National League of Democracy (NLD) won in a landslide, in Yangon on January 30, 2021. (Photo by Sai Aung MAIN / AFP)

YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Myanmar’s military declared a one-year state of emergency on Monday and appointed a general as acting president, after arresting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior officials.

An announcement on military-owned Myawaddy TV said the move was needed to preserve the “stability” of the state, accusing the country’s election commission of failing to address “huge irregularities” in the November election.

© Agence France-Presse