Myanmar’s parliament will start the process to elect a new president on March 30, regime officials in the capital Naypyidaw said on Friday, a vote many analysts expect will be won by the head of the military that seized power in a 2021 coup.
Following a controversial election that was won by a military-proxy party, the military and each of the upper and lower houses of the parliament will nominate a presidential candidate.
After a vetting process, the parliament will elect one of the three as president, officials of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw said at an event that was broadcast by regime media. The other two candidates will serve as vice presidents.
The officials did not say how long the process to vet candidates would take, or when the vote for president would be held. Regime leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is widely expected to become Myanmar’s president.
Independent analyst Htin Kyaw Aye said he expected the general to step down as head of the military before March 30, as the country’s constitution says a civil servant cannot be a presidential candidate.
“Since Min Aung Hlaing aspires to the presidency, he must step down from his current role as Commander-in-Chief to be eligible with 2008 constitution,” the Thailand-based analyst said.
He said the military and its proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) would continue to dominate the country’s politics after the phased election held in December and January.
“This is not a transition to democracy, but rather a transformation from a military-clad dictatorship to a civilian-clothed one,” he said.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since early 2021, when the military ousted an elected civilian government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. The coup triggered a protest movement that morphed into an armed rebellion against the junta across the country.
REUTERS
