Myanmar’s parliament on Tuesday elected U Htin Kyaw of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party as the new president, the first civilian to lead the country after over 50 years of military rule.
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While her statement may sound undemocratic, she could argue that she was only reflecting the will of the people who voted for the party because of her. So she chose a trusted friend she has known for more than 60 years, a confidant who has been by her side for decades and an astute adviser all these years: Htin Kyaw, a 70-year-old former computer programmer and bureaucrat.
He secured 360 votes from among 652 ballots cast in the bicameral parliament, where the vote count was read aloud and announced by a parliament official. Suu Kyi’s late husband was British, as are her children. The party has been vague about its plans once the handover from President Thein Sein’s government is completed on April 1.
During those heady but often unsure times when Suu Kyi remained under intense military scrutiny, he could sometimes be seen at the wheel of her vehicle, shuttling her between high-level meetings. Faced with unrelenting worldwide pressure and a democracy campaign led by Suu Kyi, the junta began to pave the way toward a civilian government in 2011.
Myanmar’s parliament, the Hluttaw, has chosen Htin Kyaw as the country’s new president, formally bringing to a close decades of military rule.
A seven-member parliamentary committee, with Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party in majority, approved three presidential candidates Monday making way for final vote in the combined houses of parliament where NLD has 390 of 657 seats.
The NLD, and indeed Suu Kyi, came into prominence in 1988 when popular protests started against the military that had ruled in different incarnations since taking power in a 1962 coup.
– 1991: Suu Kyi is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her peaceful struggle against the regime.
Myint Swe is reported to be related by marriage to former senior general Than Shwe, raising questions about the enduring influence of the former junta leader who also met Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. “We are surprised at his nomination by the military representatives and upset that he will be vice president”, he said. Suu Kyi is still under house arrest; her son Alexander, then 18, gives Oslo acceptance speech on her behalf.
Who is Htin Kyaw?
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Htin Kyaw is one of the first generation of graduates from Rangoon University, now the University of Yangon. They went to the Yangon train station to meet with Suu Kyi, who had been driven there by Htin Kyaw.
