During his visit to Rakhine State, Senior General Min AungHlaing, the head of the Military Council, emphasized that for elections to takeplace, it is imperative for the country to achieve a state of peace andstability.

On July 11th, Min Aung Hlaing had a meeting with officersand families from Sittwe and Kanni military stations in Rakhine State, duringwhich he expressed his views regarding the conditions necessary for holdingelections.

“Tatmadaw (the Military Council) has pledged to hold the multipartydemocracy general election in a peaceful and stable situation”, he stated inhis speech.

According to U Ye Tun, a political analyst and a parliamentrepresentative from Hsipaw Township constituency in Shan State, holding anelection under the current complex and conflict-ridden internal situation isdeemed unrealistic.

"In order to hold elections, significant politicalchanges need to be made. The National League for Democracy (NLD) should beallowed to participate, including the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi fromcustody. If these changes are implemented, there is a likelihood of theirelection plan. Such a shift is to create a political environment that ensuressafe and fair elections”, he told Narinjara.

In the absence of significant changes, the Military Councilwill be unable to conduct elections and will need to wait until they have fullcontrol over the entire country, he added.

As per the provisions outlined in the 2008 Constitution, theNational Defense and Security Council typically permits the Commander-in-Chief(Min Aung Hlaing) to extend his executive authority twice, with each extensionlasting for six months, in normal circumstances, following the declaration of astate of emergency.

Politicians have criticized Min Aung Hlaing for unethicallymanipulating the terms to suit his own agenda and repeatedly issuing emergencydeclarations, thus retaining control of the country.

The country is currently experiencing significantinstability as the Military Council engages in daily conflicts with thePeople's Defense Force (PDF) under the National Unity Government (NUG) andvarious ethnic armed organizations in all regions and states of Myanmar, exceptRakhine State.

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