The junta’s governing body, the State Administration Council (SAC), rebranded itself as the National Security and Peace Commission during a meeting of the military-dominated National Defense and Security Council in Naypyitaw on Thursday.
The 10-member commission headed by junta boss Min Aung Hlaing comprises loyalists including his deputy Soe Win, Aung Lin Dwe, Ye Win Oo, Nyo Saw and Maung Maung Aye—all top brass who sat on the SAC. A new member is Myanmar military No. 3 Kyaw Swar Lin.
Min Aung Hlaing, in his capacity as the acting president, announced that the commission’s mandate is to oversee “national defense, security, peace and stability”, and the holding of elections slated for December.
The formation of the commission marked the formal end of the four-and-a-half-year-old SAC—formed after the Feb. 1, 2021 coup—as well as the state of emergency declared by the regime after the coup and repeatedly extended over the past few years.
Under the military-drafted 2008 Constitution, the presidency is the highest position in the cabinet. In the absence of a president, the acting president is the highest-ranked member. Min Aung Hlaing has been serving as acting president since former acting president Myint Swe fell ill.
