Myanmar Buddhist devotees arrive for prayers at the Sule pagoda in central Yangon. The vote count was read aloud and announced by a parliament official.
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The military choice in a presidential candidate, Myint Swe, suggests a tough path to reconciliation.
(AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo). After the vote, which saw Htin Kyaw gain 360 of the 652 votes cast in the bicamerial parliament, Suu Kyi clapped and smiled.
Suu Kyi has pledged to pull the strings of power from “above” her appointee, though in this delicate and secretive transition, she has not revealed how the arrangement will work.
Despite weeks of negotiation prior to the vote, the NLD were unable to persuade the military of Myanmar to remove or suspend the clause to allow Ms Suu Kyi to take office.
Suu Kyi has previously said that, despite being barred from running, she will be “above the president”.
Foreseeing such an eventuality, Suu Kyi told the media before and after the election that she would be the real power in the government, and whoever becomes president would do her bidding.
U Htin Kyaw, 70, was a classmate of Aung San Suu Kyi’s and possesses a master’s degrees in both economics and computer science. Suu Kyi’s late husband was British, as are her children.
“This is a victory for the people of this country”, Htin Kyaw said in a brief comment to reporters.
The president, Htin Kyaw (left), and his two vice presidents, Myint Swe (center) and Henry Van Thio (right).
The NLD’s majority in parliament ensured a comfortable win for the party’s nomination for president. “He really should be the leader”.
The veteran activist instead vowed to rule “above” the next leader.
He spent much of his career working as one of her top advisers, supporting her during more than 15 years of house arrest, before shifting over to head the charitable foundation named for her mother in 2012.
The military has been in power in this Southeast Asian nation since 1962. Zaw Min published a book compiling a series of articles Htin Kyaw wrote about his father, titled “My Father’s Life”, in 2009. His father-in-law was already a prominent NLD leader and his wife a member. Myanmar’s parliament votes Tuesday to pick the country’s next president from a group of three final candidates, including a front runner who is a longtime confidant of Nobel laureate Suu Kyi.
As we reported, Suu Kyi has apologized to her supporters for not becoming president. The clause is widely seen as having been written by the military with Suu Kyi in mind.
The military, or Tatmadaw, has an automatic allocation of 25% of seats in national and regional parliaments, enabling it to veto constitutional amendments, and controls three of the most powerful ministries in cabinet: home, defense and border affairs.
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Retired Lt. Gen. Myint Swe formerly ran the military’s intelligence bureau and clamped down on student protesters a year ago while serving as chief minister of Yangon, also know as Rangoon.
