Myanmar set to hold elections on December 28: Report

Yangon, Aug 18 (IANS) Myanmar is set to hold the first phase of the General Election on December 28, the Union Election Commission said on Monday.

The Union Election Commission has announced December 28 as the date for the first phase of the multi-party general election in accordance with the constitution and relevant laws, and said that the dates for subsequent phases will be announced in due course, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing said in June that the election will be held during December this year and January next year, according to a report of state-owned daily The Global New Light of Myanmar.

Last month, Myanmar's National Defence and Security Council (NDSC) formed a new union government and State Security and Peace Commission, the state-owned Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV) reported.

The union government is led by U Nyo Saw as Prime Minister, and the State Security and Peace Commission is chaired by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing the report.

The NDSC also decided to annul the order transferring the sovereign power to the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services, according to the report.

Zaw Min Tun, a spokesperson of Myanmar's State Administration Council, said the NDSC had decided to end the state of emergency to hold general elections.

In February 2021, Myanmar's then-Acting President U Myint Swe declared a one-year state of emergency and transferred sovereign power to the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services. The office of the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services subsequently formed the State Administration Council, with Min Aung Hlaing as its chairman. The NDSC has made multiple six-month extensions until July 31 this year.

Meanwhile, Myanmar is working to accelerate its digital transformation with the implementation of the Myanmar Digital Economy Roadmap 2030, the state-owned daily Myanma Alinn reported recently.

A working coordination meeting of the country's Digital Economy Development Committee (DEDC) was held at the Ministry of Commerce in Nay Pyi Taw on July 25 to review progress and set priorities for the coming years.

Speaking at the meeting, patron of the committee Union Minister for Transport and Communications General Mya Tun Oo said that the rapid acceleration of growth through digital means is a key factor for developing countries to achieve progress, it said.

Citing World Economic Forum data, Mya Tun Oo said that the digital economy currently contributes at least 15 percent of global GDP and is expected to rise above 25 percent by 2030, urging the participating committee members to take coordinated action across all sectors to build a digital future for Myanmar, the report said.

--IANS

akl/as