(Naypyidaw, 4th) Myanmar military leader Min Aung Hlaing was officially elected president by a vote of the Union Parliament on Friday (April 3rd).
This marks the first time since Min Aung Hlaing seized power in a 2021 coup that he has become president through an electoral process he oversaw, transitioning from armed forces commander-in-chief to the nation's head of state, thereby completing the shift from military rule to a civilian government.
Vote counting results show that out of 584 MPs, Min Aung Hlaing received 429 votes, winning by a large margin to become the new president. According to the electoral process, the other two candidates—Prime Minister Nyunt Swe and Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) MP Nan Ni Ni Aye—will serve as vice presidents. Min Aung Hlaing is expected to be officially sworn in next week.
China extended congratulations following Min Aung Hlaing's election. Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message to Min Aung Hlaing, congratulating him on his election as president.
China extended congratulations following Min Aung Hlaing's election. Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message to Min Aung Hlaing, congratulating him on his election as president.
69-year-old Min Aung Hlaing staged a coup on February 1, 2021, overthrowing the democratically elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, and launched a crackdown on the opposition, igniting civil war. In the general election concluded this January, the military-backed USDP won easily in the absence of major opposition parties.
The Myanmar constitution stipulates that the president cannot simultaneously hold a military post. On March 30, the day he was nominated as vice-president candidate, Min Aung Hlaing resigned from his post as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, which he had held for 15 years, and appointed his top confidant, former intelligence chief Ye Win Oo, as his successor.
The Myanmar constitution stipulates that the president cannot simultaneously hold a military post. On March 30, the day he was nominated as vice-president candidate, Min Aung Hlaing resigned from his post as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, which he had held for 15 years, and appointed his top confidant, former intelligence chief Ye Win Oo, as his successor.