CNI News

13 Oct 2022

Duwa Lashi La, the acting president of the National Unity Government, has vowed to crush any attempts to hold elections by the State Administration Council.

He told the NUG meeting on 11th October that the SAC hoped to use the 2023 elections as their exit from the political crisis and measures must be taken to ensure that the SAC had no escape route from the current crisis.

The acting president said, “It is evident that the SAC has aimed to use the 2023 election as their political exit. We can also see that they have reshuffled the leadership in the military-proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party to be compatible with their plans. We must respond very carefully so that the SAC has no political exit. We are taking pragmatic steps to respond to the 2023 elections to be held by the junta.
Measures beyond the complete sabotage, objection and denial of recognition are being taken into consideration.”

  An NUG meeting.

Then, he added that the outcomes of the military coup aggravated the situation and delivering aid directly to the public was limited although the international community is offering assistance.

If elections could not be held in 2023, the country would fall back under military rule, Secretary Maing Ohn Khaing of the Ta’ang National Party told the CNI.

He said, “Under the current circumstances, the country will be in so many crises. It is difficult to predict what will happen. Everything depends on whether the elections will take place or not. If elections are impossible, the country will fall back to military rule. It is too early to predict anything because no one is dead sure that the elections are impossible.”

Some political observers have questioned how to respond to the unfathomable absolute military rule if the election could not be held and the junta could not be overthrown.

Election results are being announced.

The junta seized power from the government of the National League for Democracy on 1st February, 2021 and declared a state of emergency, accusing the latter of forming a new government without settling voters’ lists disputes in the 2020 general election.

Since then, the National Unity Government and the People Defence Force have taken up arms to topple the junta and have urged all to boycott the elections to be held by the SAC.

However, SAC Chairman Snr Gen Min Aung Hlaing promised a new general election in August, 2023 to transfer power to the winning party.