Myanmar’s parliament will vote for a new president on Friday, with junta leader Min Aung Hlaing among the three candidates for the post.
NAYPYIDAW: Lawmakers will elect a new president on Friday, parliamentary speaker Aung Lin Dwe said. The vote is scheduled for 10:00 am local time.
Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing is one of three candidates for the post. He has led Myanmar since seizing power from Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in 2021.
Min Aung Hlaing was elected as one of three vice presidents by lawmakers on Tuesday. He received 247 of 260 votes in the lower house.
The other two vice presidents are Nan Ni Ni Aye, a regional MP from Karen state, and current Prime Minister Nyo Saw. The speaker stated that parliament must “select and elect the one vice president they prefer as the President.”
Democracy watchdogs warn the new government will be a proxy for the military. The military has ruled Myanmar for most of its post-independence history.
The generals allowed a decade-long democratic experiment beginning in 2011. This period saw Aung San Suu Kyi ascend as civilian leader.
Min Aung Hlaing seized back power after Aung San Suu Kyi’s party trounced the military-backed USDP in 2020 elections. He has since overseen five years of hardline rule.
The junta conducted heavily restricted elections in January. Pro-military parties secured a walkover win.
The USDP, led by many retired officers, now holds 80% of elected parliamentary seats. The new government is expected to march in lockstep with the military.
Min Aung Hlaing is managing a transition to the presidency after handing military command to Ye Win Oo. He is expected to secure the presidency in the orchestrated vote.