Myanmar junta chief elected president

Myanmar’s military leader Min Aung Hlaing has officially become the country’s president following a parliamentary vote on April 3, consolidating his control five years after ousting the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

The 69-year-old general led a 2021 coup, arresting Suu Kyi and triggering widespread protests that evolved into a nationwide armed resistance. His rise to the presidency follows a heavily criticised December-January election, won overwhelmingly by the army-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party, widely dismissed by critics and Western governments as a sham, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

In a parliament dominated by the military and its allied party, Min Aung Hlaing easily secured the presidential vote. His promotion to civilian president coincides with a major military leadership reshuffle, including the appointment of loyalist Ye Win Oo as commander-in-chief.

Despite this political consolidation, Myanmar remains mired in civil war. Anti-junta forces, including remnants of Suu Kyi’s party and ethnic minority armies, recently formed a united front to challenge the military’s rule.

By Sabina Mammadli