Myanmar Junta Chief Min Aung Hlaing Elected President
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- U Min Aung Hlaing was elected Myanmar's 11th president on Friday with 429 of 584 votes cast by the military-controlled Parliament; the two other candidates on the ballot became first and second vice president in what the article calls a "preordained result."
- Min Aung Hlaing, 69, stepped down earlier this week as military commander in chief — a role in which he oversaw the 2021 coup, the killing of thousands of civilians, and the widely recognized genocide of Rohingya Muslims.
- Analysts and regime critics said they expect little change in Myanmar's direction, with the new president likely to continue a "ruthless path" against pro-democracy rebels and armed ethnic groups that now control about half the country's territory.
- ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights said his ascension "would formalize the same violent system that has already caused immense suffering, deepened social fractures and undermined democracy and human rights."
- The elections were described as stage-managed by the military, and Min Aung Hlaing is now expected to portray himself as a civilian head of state after decades in uniform.
Why it matters: Min Aung Hlaing's elevation gives Myanmar's military regime a civilian veneer for a leader who oversaw the 2021 coup and the Rohingya genocide, with the parliament vote (429 of 584) rubber-stamping a result the military itself orchestrated. Opposition armed groups hold roughly half the country's territory, and critics expect the civilian title to legitimize — not soften — the ongoing campaign against them.
