The military junta in Myanmar, which ousted and detained the nation’s civilian leaders earlier this month, has declared that it will hold an election and “hand power to the winning party.”

“Our objective is to hold an election and hand power to the winning party,” said the spokesperson for the group, Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun, while defending the military’s February 1st takeover which many have viewed as a coup. “We guarantee … that the election will be held,” he added in the briefing from the capital, Naypyitaw, where he also denied that former leaders like Aung San Suu Kyi were in detention, saying they were instead in their homes for security purposes.

Military officials in Myanmar, also called Burma, have not set a date for the country’s election, but the Brigadier General said the military will not retain power for long. When it took power, the military declared a state of emergency slated to last one year.

The announcement was broadcast live on Facebook, a platform it has banned.

The takeover came right before Myanmar’s Parliament was scheduled to meet after Suu Kyi’s party won overwhelmingly in elections. The military has alleged that voter fraud impacted the results, but Myanmar’s election commission dismissed the claims.

Protests Continue In Earnest

Thousands of protesters have continued to protest the military rule, calling for the release of the nation’s civilian leaders. These protests have, over time, become violent, resulting in a death, as police have responded with force, opening fire on the crowds several times, mostly with rubber bullets.

Suu Kyi Faces New Charge

Suu Kyi, on Tuesday, was also charged with violating coronavirus restrictions, which carries a sentence of up to three years. But under military rules, the leader could be detained indefinitely.

Prior to her detainment early this month, Suu Kyi was the de facto civilian leader in Myanmar. At the time, she was charged for breaching import-export laws, which has been described as “trumped up.”