Mizzima-Mar 17
On 16 March, Special Advisory Council for Myanmar (SAC-M) said Myanmar’s military leaders are attempting to rebrand their rule by forming a new civilian-style government following the junta’s disputed elections, warning that the move will not bring legitimacy to the regime led by Min Aung Hlaing. According to the SAC-M, the Myanmar military junta’s power grab entered its next phase today, as its generals and proxies convened their illegitimate “parliament” in Naypyitaw. It is the first such gathering since the junta’s fraudulent elections concluded in January. Over the next two weeks, dozens of senior junta generals are expected to swap their military uniforms for civilian clothes as part of a staged rebrand. This charade is expected to conclude in early April with the formation of a new junta puppet “government” operating under the direction of junta leader and accused war criminal Min Aung Hlaing.
“Min Aung Hlaing has killed tens of thousands of civilians, set the country ablaze and destabilized the region, all in a selfish bid to anoint himself president,” said Yanghee Lee, Member of the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar (SAC-M). “A confected title and a costume change won’t fool the Myanmar people or the international community or erase his crimes. He will ultimately be brought to heel and to justice.” In December, the junta pressed ahead with its fraudulent elections in an amateurish bid to extract legitimacy from the international community. ASEAN confirmed it would not endorse the process and was joined by a large number of states. The junta was unable to conduct its poll in most of the country. According to mapping estimates by the Democratic Voice of Burma, the process covered just 42 percent of Myanmar’s territory. With the country’s most popular and successful political parties barred from participating and democratically elected leaders held in incommunicado political imprisonment, the ballot was comprised almost entirely of junta nominees and proxies. Voter turnout, unsurprisingly, was abysmally low. Read more at: https://eng.mizzima.com/2026/03/17/32272
