Suu Kyi ally elected Myanmar president
YANGON: Myanmar’s parliament elected Win Myint, a confidante of de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, as the new president on Wednesday a week after Htin Kyaw abruptly stepped down from the post.
Both houses of parliament voted the ruling party National League for Democracy (NLD) stalwart into the position with 403 votes from the 636 lawmakers.
The 66-year-old former lower house speaker became Myanmar’s 10th president and takes the position after the NLD swept to power in elections in 2015, the first fully democratic polls after decades of military rule.
“This is the desire of the people and the NLD, he should do well for the rule of law,” Khin Maung Myint, a member of parliament from Kachin State, said. “We will have to watch, and will be happy if he achieves good things,” he added.
Both Win Myint and his predecessor Htin Kyaw are close to Suu Kyi, who is barred from the presidency and rules the civilian government under the title of state counsellor.
Suu Kyi observed the vote from parliament’s gallery alongside other ministers.
Myanmar and Suu Kyi in particular have been criticised internationally for the treatment of the country’s minority Rohingya, nearly 700,000 of who fled to Bangladesh during a military campaign described as ethnic cleansing by the UN.
Htin Kyaw said he wanted to “take a rest” from his current work when he announced his resignation last Wednesday.
Win Myint resigned from his position as lower house speaker shortly after and the lower house of parliament on Friday elected him as vice president.
Win Myint has been described as strong-willed in his role as speaker and an assertive politician, leading observers to predict that he may take on a fuller role as president, rather than the ceremonial one performed by Htin Kyaw.
Win Myint, who represented the lower house, beat two other vice presidents representing the upper house and the military respectively to secure the presidency.