Martial Law
The temporary imposition of direct military control over civilian government functions, typically during war, insurrection, or breakdown of civil order.
Explanation
Under martial law, military authority replaces civilian government — courts are suspended or replaced by military tribunals, civilian rights are curtailed, and the armed forces enforce order directly. It is the most extreme form of executive emergency power. Martial law has been declared in Poland (1981), the Philippines (repeatedly), South Korea (1980), and Pakistan (multiple times). In stable democracies, martial law is generally constitutionally constrained and subject to parliamentary or judicial oversight. It differs from a state of emergency in that military command explicitly replaces civilian administration.
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