That sinking feeling for Myanmar’s exiled opposition

Myanmar’s military regime has staged a cosmetic makeover in recent days. On July 30, the State Administration Council (SAC) junta transformed into the State Security and Peace Commission (SSPC), ending a four-and-a-half-year state of emergency as preparations began for a year-end general election.

After years of speculation following the February 2021 military coup, the junta’s “transition plan” is taking its misshapen form. There will likely be some measure of international interest in the SSPC’s evolving plans to hold polls in the midst of a nationwide civil war, but there shouldn’t be any hope that a pseudo-election can solve the conflict.

How will Myanmar’s revolutionary complex respond to the regime’s plans? So far, the response from the exiled National Unity Government (NUG) has been muted.

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