Myanmar elects its new President and Vice Presidents
Myanmar elects its new President and Vice Presidents
by DIPD on March 15, 2016
At the beginning of this week, the parliament of Myanmar elected Htin Kyaw as the country’s new president. This brings the opposition party National Leagues for Democratic party (NLD) back into government after 54 years of military rule.
NLD president
Following last week’s presidential nominations, Myanmar’s bicameral parliament has elected the country’s new President and Vice Presidents.
The 70-year-old Oxford graduate, Htin Kyaw, a long-time close friend and ally of the iconic Aung San Suu Kyi, was elected as president and becomes Myanmar’s first freely elected president after 54 years of military rule. Htin Kyaw secured 360 votes from among 652 ballots cast in the bicameral parliament, and was therefore the clear winner among the three candidates.
“This is a victory for the people of this country,” Htin Kyaw stated to the present reporters after the result had become clear. He will take office from 1 April, when current President Thein Sein’s government leaves office, but questions about his position and power remain open, due to the unclarified role of Aung San Suu Kyi in the incoming government.
Despite of this, Htin Kyaw will still go down in history as the first civilian President of Myanmar after the military rule.
Vice President with support from the military
Myint Swe, who was the military’s candidate, gained 214 votes, which secured him the position as the first Vice President. The second Vice President will be Henry Van Thio, Htin Kyaw’s running mate from the NLD and a MP of the ethnic Chin minority, who won 79 votes.
The exact role of Aung San Suu Kyi is yet to be determined, but she is widely expected to play a prominent role in governing the country in the coming years.
With the outcome of the presidential vote, it is clear that a lot of dialogue and search for common ground is needed in the time to come among the President and Vice Presidents.
In the Myanmar Multiparty Democracy Programme (MMDP) the focus on multiparty dialogue and cooperation will continue and engagement with the newly elected parliament will be reinforced.
Also, read DIPD´s article Candidates nominated for Myanmar presidency.
For More information
Khin Thazin Myint, Myanmar Country Coordinator, +95 9 421 009 560 (ktzm@dipd.dk) or
Hanne Lund Madsen, Senior Adviser, +45 38402802 (hlm@dipd.dk)
Read more about the DIPD engagement in Myanmar or at the www.myanmarmultiparty.org
From: Myanmar, News and updates