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State of Emergency Declared in Myanmar

Sputnik

On 1 February, the country’s military declared a state of emergency for a year, with a power transfer to the commander-in-chief General Min Aung Hlaing. Earlier, reports suggested that Myanmar’s civilian leader Aung Suu Kyi, the president and several other senior politicians had been detained.

The political turmoil comes after months of the tensions between government and military over the results of the 8 November general election. While the country’s Union Election Commission confirmed the NLD’s victory in the poll , the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development party contested the results which would have allowed Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi to take a second five-year term in the office.

Over the last years, the civil government and the country’s military have been in a spat over multiple issues such as the 2017 Rohingya crisis and enshrined military prerogatives granted by the 2008 Myanmar’s constitution.

Check out Sputnik's gallery to find out what happens in Myanmar after the state of emergency was declared. 

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Myanmar soldiers are seen inside City Hall in Yangon, Myanmar 1 February 2021.
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In this file photo taken on 30 March 2016, Myanmar's vice-president Myint Swe attends a ceremony at the presidential palace in Naypyitgaw. Myint Swe, a former general who ran the powerful Yangon military command and is vice-president of Myanmar, will become acting president for the next year, as the military detained the country's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the country's president in a coup on 1 February 2021.
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Shwe Dagon pagoda is seen in Yangon, Myanmar 1 February 2021.
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People line up outside a bank branch in Yangon, Myanmar 1 February 2021.
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Buddhist monks, supporters of Myanmar's military, take part in a protest against Union Election Commission, the elected government and foreign embassies in Yangon, Myanmar, 30 January 2021.
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A supporter of Myanmar's military takes part in a protest against Union Election Commission, the elected government and foreign embassies in Yangon, Myanmar, 30 January 2021.
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Myanmar military vehicles are seen inside City Hall in Yangon, Myanmar 1 February 2021.
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Supporters of Myanmar's military hold national flags as they take part in a protest against the Union Election Commission in Yangon, Myanmar, 29 January 2021.
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