Myanmar’s junta leader has pledged to hold democratic elections within two years, extending a state of emergency imposed by the military when it overthrew the country’s elected government in February.

Speaking in a televised address on Sunday, Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said his State Administration Council is “working as quickly as possible” to prepare for fresh elections after voiding the results of a 2020 vote that dealt a landslide victory to the party of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

“I pledge to hold the multiparty general election without fail,” Mr. Min Aung Hlaing said.

Ms. Suu Kyi and other members of her government have been detained since the Feb. 1 coup, which abruptly ended the Southeast Asian nation’s decadelong transition to democracy and threw the country into chaos. The military says the 2020 vote was marred by widespread fraud, a claim disputed by independent election observers.

Protests erupted within a week after the putsch and have continued almost daily in the six months since. At least 940 people have been killed and more than 5,400 others have been detained since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a nonprofit that monitors arrests and fatalities.

Sunday’s announcement signals the military’s intention to remain in power as long as legally possible under the country’s military-drafted constitution. After the coup, the junta enacted a yearlong state of emergency that could be extended twice by six months each time. Mr. Min Aung Hlaing said in his address that authorities would need another six months to prepare for the polls.

Foreign governments including the U.S. have condemned the coup and called for a restoration of democracy that upholds the will of the people, but human-rights advocates say a fresh election designed by the junta would likely skew heavily in the military’s favor.

Earlier

Soldiers and police in Myanmar killed dozens of people in late March, when Myanmar’s commander in chief vowed in a speech “to protect people from all dangers.” The U.N.’s Human Rights office said it had received reports of scores of people killed and hundreds injured across 40 locations in the country. Photo: AP (Video from 3/27/21) The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition

Many members of Ms. Suu Kyi’s party remain imprisoned and the future of the party is uncertain. Others who weren’t arrested but are currently in hiding have formed a parallel government, which the junta has since labeled as a terrorist organization.

Ms. Suu Kyi herself, 76 years old, is facing multiple criminal charges that could effectively end her political career. Her lawyers say the charges—which include corruption, incitement, violation of pandemic control measures and illegally importing walkie talkies—are politically motivated.

In a separate announcement on Sunday, the junta said it has established a caretaker government with Mr. Min Aung Hlaing as its prime minister.

Write to Feliz Solomon at feliz.solomon@wsj.com