Myanmar army leader touts election plan on Independence Day

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s ruling military leader, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, has detailed plans for an election later this year and called for national unity in a speech as he led a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of independence from Britain. The army seized power in February 2021 from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains detained since the takeover. Min Aung Hlaing urged other nations and international organizations, as well as his country’s own people, in his speech Wednesday to support “the genuine, discipline-flourishing multiparty democratic system,” a concept the ruling military has defined as its goal. The plan for a general election is seen as an attempt to normalize the military’s seizure of power and deliver a result that ensures the generals retain control.