Myanmar army leader touts election plan and says it will be 'free and fair'

A supporter wearing garment with the portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi's looks on while waiting for the arrivals of prisoners released from Insein Prison, in Yangon, Myanmar, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023. - AP

BANGKOK, Jan 6 (AP): Myanmar’s ruling military leader pardoned over 7,000 prisoners, including some political detainees, and detailed plans for an election later this year during a ceremony Wednesday marking the 75th anniversary of independence from Britain.

Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing urged other nations and international organizations, as well as his country’s own people, to support "the genuine, discipline-flourishing multiparty democratic system,” a concept the ruling military has defined as its goal since it ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.