An emergency has been imposed in Myanmar for one year after a reported military coup in the nation followed by the detention of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and others on Monday morning. The Myanmar military has appointed a general as the acting president, a move that was needed to preserve the “stability” in the state.

The seizure of power by the military in Myanmar comes after weeks of tensions with Suu Kyi and her government. The top civilian leaders were taken into custody the same day the new parliamentary session was due to begin since a national election that happened in November last year. As of now, the army, declaring an emergency in Myanmar, has assumed power for 12 months.

Here’s what we know so far about the political turmoil in Myanmar:

Suu Kyi in 2015 assumed power in Myanmar in a specially created role of state counsellor after the National League for Democracy (NLD) wins the general elections. She had vowed to resolve Myanmar’s myriad ethnic conflicts. 

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Despite the crackdown on Myanmar’s stateless Rohingya minority in 2017, which tarnished Suu Kyi’s image internationally, the 75-year-old continued to remain an immensely popular figure in the nation. 

In 2020, former Nobel laureate, Suu Kyi’s NLD swept general elections by an even greater margin than 2015. However, the military said the vote was plagued by irregularities. 

The military, which has ruled in Myanmar for most of the last 60 years, claimed that it has uncovered 10 million instances of voter fraud, demanding the government-run election commission to release voter lists for cross-checking.

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Soon after that, the head of the military, General Min Aung Hlaing warned that Myanmar’s constitution could be “revoked” if it is not respected, leading to further tensions in the country. 

Army tanks were deployed in the capital Naypyidaw, Yangon, Myanmar’s commercial hub, and other cities last week as protests were held against election results by pro-military supporters. 

As of now, the former army general and current vice president, Myint Swe will be the acting president in Myanmar for the next 12 months.