Myanmar sets election after president resigns

YANGON, Myanmar — Myanmar’s vacant presidential post will be filled by an election in the Union Parliament within seven working days, according to a statement by the President’s Office Wednesday.

The statement was a follow-up of an earlier one that announced President U Htin Kyaw’s resignation for his wish to take a rest.

First Vice-President U Myint Swe will serve as acting president according to the constitution until the parliament elects the president, U Zaw Htay, director-general of the President’s Office told Xinhua.

He said the president recently underwent a successful surgical operation in Singapore and is in good health.

The 72-year-old U Htin Kyaw was elected president on March 30, 2016, after the Aung San Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy (NLD) won the 2015 general election with an absolute majority vote.

Meanwhile, Speaker of Myanmar House of Representatives (Lower House) U Win Myint also will resign as announced by Deputy Speaker U T Khun Myat during the parliamentary session on Wednesday.

The vacant post of speaker of the House of Representatives shall first be filled within seven days before the presidential election, Dr Hla Moe, parliament member of the Aung Myay Thar Zan constituency, Mandalay region told Xinhua.